It's Olio Nuovo Season!

It’s Olio Nuovo season at Gold Ridge Organic Farms! Now’s your chance to taste the freshest, liveliest olive oil from West Sonoma County. These Organic California olive oils from our 2024 harvest are only on offer during the next few months. Robust and racy, bold and bright, our unfiltered, first of the season olive oil offers a wallop of big flavors and big health benefits. Later this winter, we'll be offering special guided Olio Nuovo tastings here in our warm and welcoming Sebastopol Farm Shop. During the holidays, stop by our Farm Shop for free tastes of the latest variety to be milled. By the end of December or early December, you can order a selection of our four estate Olio Nuovo olive oils from our web shop. This is a seasonal offering, and when it’s gone, it’s gone until next year.  

What is Olio Nuovo?  

Olio Nuovo is Italian for “new oil.” It is what we call the first, freshest oil pressed at the beginning of the year’s olive harvest. The 2024 harvest began this year on November 15 and will continue through the end of December. The new harvest olive oils are unfiltered, bold and piquant.  

When is it available?  

Olio Nuovo is the first olive oil we make during the harvest and milling season. We typically begin with our Picholine blocks. This year, the French blend of olives are being harvested, milled, and bottled the last two weeks of November. It will be followed by the Minerva in late November to early December and Tuscan Blend in mid to late December. The Arbequina blocks are typically the last to ripen and the last to be harvested at the very end of December - or even early January, as with last season's harvest! 

Our Olio Nuovo will be available for sale in our Farm Shop and online through our website during the final weeks of 2024 and first few months of the new year. We will typically end sales of Olio Nuovo in early spring, when our 2024 Extra Virgin Olive Oils will be released.  

What makes Olio Nuovo special?  

You'll taste the difference! Olio Nuovo is the freshest olive oil we offer. It is unaged and unfiltered, bottled directly after milling and still containing the bits of olive sediment that remain after milling. These tiny, flavor-packed particles remain suspended in a thick, luscious olive oil that tastes vividly fresh, spicy, and fruity. While the oil is brilliant green when first pressed, it turns more golden as these fine, pulpy solids settle. Our CCOF Certified Organic olive oils are grown and milled onsite in our modern, state-of-the-art Itallian Rapanelli olive press After the olives are shaken from the trees and gathered in nets, the olives are whisked away from the orchard directly to our mill for processing within mere hours of harvest. This ensures the freshest flavor and highest medicinal quality. 

Does Olio Nuovo offer unique health benefits?  

Like all fresh produce, olives (and olive oil) have the highest health benefits when they’re really fresh. Since our Olio Nuovo is made and sold right after milling, it delivers higher levels of polyphenols (the antioxidant compounds that have been shown to support good heart health) and tocopherols (fat-soluble vitamins) than any other type of extra virgin olive oil, making it one of the healthiest fats you can add to your diet. Olive oil’s polyphenol levels will decline as it ages, so we suggest enjoying your Olio Nuovo within two to three months of opening.  

Is Olio Nuovo Extra Virgin?  

Yes, all our Estate Organic California olive oils are Certified Extra Virgin by the California Olive Oil Council (CCOC).  All our olive oils have undergone a rigorous third-party testing process, including both lab-based chemical analysis and evaluation by trained tasting panels, to verify that the oil is free of flaws and adulteration and reaches all the sensory (color, aroma, flavor) benchmarks established for top-quality olive oil.  

What’s the best way to serve Olio Nuovo?  

We suggest using our Olio Nuovo as a condiment, dipping or finishing oils, so their robust flavors can shine. Drizzle them on soups, use them for dipping bread or focaccia, swirl them over hummus, gloss up your avocado or ricotta toast, give a generous glug over a radicchio and citrus salad or toss steamed kale, broccoli, or cauliflower with Olio Nuovo and your favorite salt.