Extra Virgin Olive Oil <Lemon Flavor>

Made with organic lemons from Sicily. High-quality essential oil refined by pressing method offers a special fragrance. Lemon essential oil content is 1%.
It has an exquisite balance that brings out the individual characteristics of the oil and the lemon aroma.

Citrus fruits contain essential oils in the oil sacs on the surface of their skin, so the oil can be extracted by crushing them under pressure. At Zottopera, we carry out the pressing process carefully, following the steps below.

(1) After washing, the lemons are pressed whole while being cooled with a high-pressure water spray (cold press).
(2) Remove solid skin, fibers, etc.
(3) Carefully filter the mixture of water and essential oil.
(4) The mixture of highly concentrated essential oil and water is then filtered again.
(5)Store at 0°C.
*The scent of the main components of plant essential oils deteriorates rapidly when exposed to heat, so the extraction process is carried out while cooling in order to protect the scent components from the slight heat that is generated when pressure is applied.
Essential oils extracted by cold pressing are less susceptible to deterioration due to heat, so their natural scent is preserved.

"Tonda Ivrea" is a rare endemic variety that can only be grown in five villages in Sicily.
To ensure quality, the olives are hand-picked, one by one, and milled in modern oil mills within eight hours of harvest.
It is cold pressed. The pressed olive oil is not filtered, but rather the impurities are naturally precipitated in stainless steel tanks. The acidity is less than 0.25%, well below the international standard. It is an oil that is as fresh as fruit juice.

They are native Sicilians who grow olives in Chiaramonte Gulfi, a small village with a population of about 8,000. The Rosso family moved to this olive farm in the 15th century and the farm has been passed down from parent to child for generations, with the current owner, Mr. Rosso, running the farm together with his son.
The appeal of Zottopela is not only its taste, but also the fact that it maintains a high level of quality despite the changing climate every year. To achieve this, it is extremely important to judge the harvest time. He harvests in several stages, which brings out the freshness of early harvest and the depth of ripe fruit. He is very good at judging the harvest time. This is one of the important know-hows he has inherited from his ancestors.

In fact, until a few decades ago, the olive growers of Chiaramonte Gulfi considered the oil they produced to be of poor quality.
In recent years, its fruity flavor has been rediscovered as worthy of special praise, becoming a hot topic in Italy, and oils from this region have become regular top-ranking competitors in competitions.

There is a pure white stone house next to the farm and a stone wall surrounding it. Giuseppe Rosso explains the reason for its stronger construction than you might imagine: "Olive oil was very valuable in the old days. There were many thieves who wanted the oil, so farmers had to defend themselves." Inside the house, you can still find ancient millstones and stone tanks. They are now preserved as valuable examples of past history. Travelers can stay inside the facility, so if you have the opportunity to visit Sicily, please consider staying there.