Sierra de Segura

Appearance & taste

The oil is yellow-green. According to the specification, its taste is fruity, aromatic, slightly bitter and very stable. It is obtained by mechanical or other physical processes that do not alter the oil and preserve the taste, aroma and characteristics of the fruit.

Limits apply to the analytical values: the peroxide value is below 19, the K270 value below 0.20, and moisture and impurities at most 0.1 % each. Each container carries on the front or back a numbered certification label of the control body, which cannot be reused, and the statement “Protected Designation of Origin ‘Sierra de Segura’”.

Production

Only healthy olives of the Picual, Verdala, Royal and Manzanillo de Jaén varieties from registered olive groves in the area are used. They are harvested at the degree of ripeness at which the typical fruity oils can be obtained. Harvesting is done by hand directly from the tree; only olives harvested in this way may be made into this oil. They are milled in registered mills in the area within 48 hours of harvest.

Most groves have 100 to 130 trees per hectare, spaced about 10 metres apart. Where machines can drive, the soil is usually worked three times with a disc harrow or cultivator between the end of winter and early summer and lightly harrowed in summer and autumn; rough terrain is still ploughed in the traditional way. Before packing, the oil is tested physically, chemically and organoleptically, and only oil that has passed all checks is sold.

Origin & history

The Sierra de Segura is an uneven, rugged area with varied forests and scattered olive groves; the steep slopes are difficult to plough. The highest point is El Yelmo at 1,809 metres, the average altitude of the production area is 899 metres, and the lowest place is Puente Génave at 548 metres. The climate is extreme, with temperatures from −8 °C to 35 °C and 500 to 700 mm of rainfall a year. Rivers such as the Molinos, Martes, Herreros, Hornos and Madera belong to the catchment areas of the Guadalquivir and the Segura.

The soils formed from material from the Secondary and Tertiary eras and range from silty to sandy clay. Lithosols are widespread over the fissured limestones. According to the specification, olive growing was and is the most important branch of the area’s economy; the olive tree, olives and oil appear in many works of art, sayings and customs.