Casaloste Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva

Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva from Casaloste

A gold-green organic treat

Emilia d’Orsi and her husband Giovanni, the two owners of Fattoria Casaloste, produce year after year an excellent extra virgin olive oil in addition to the award-winning red wines. On an area of about two hectares the olive trees grow and prosper - some of them even with a secondary function as a shade around the picturesque pool. The olives are harvested every year between the end of October and the beginning of November - naturally by hand. The fruits are then processed quickly and gently within 48 hours - this is decisive for the production of a high-quality olive oil. Cold pressing and centrifugal separation of oil and water takes place in a nearby organically certified oil mill. The result: golden green in colour and slightly bitter in taste, Casaloste extra virgin olive oil is perfect for preparing bruschettas, salads, vegetables and, of course, pasta & co.

Fattoria Casaloste: a winery in the Greve valley

You can get to know the Fattoria Casaloste from its best side by taking a few days - or ideally spending your holiday here. Because the two holiday apartments, furnished in the typical Tuscan style, invite you to a real feel-good stay. In fact, in the 12th century the present main house was a watchtower on the border between Florence and Siena. And actually Emilia and Giovanni are from Naples. But during visiting a friend in Chianti Classico, the agronomist-oenologist and his wife spontaneously fell in love with the small Casaloste winery. In 1993 Giovanni d’Orsi and his wife Emilia acquired this winery located in the hills of Panzano near Greve in Chianti, and moved from Naples to Tuscany. Only in the course of time the property was rebuilt and radiates today the typical Tuscan country house charms. Casaloste owns a total of 19 hectares of land, more than ten of which are planted with vines and two with olive trees.

Red wines under the sign of Gallo Nero

The result of the hard work of Emilia and Giovanni is around 60,000 organic bottles of red wine per year. The spectrum ranges lead from lighter wines to powerful reds and up to elegant top wines with great storage potential. Giovanni uses only special Sangiovese grapes for the flagship Gran Selezione named "Don Vincenzo". This wine comes to the market after five years of aging period in barrels and bottles. But also the second Riserva with the name Casaloste does not need to hide. It matures in partly new, partly used small and medium-sized barrels. The assortment also includes the Inversus - a blend of Sangiovese and Merlot. The Chianti Classico is of course the top seller in the range - the stylised Golf of Naples is on its label as a reminder of their former homeland. And of course the Gallo Nero can be seen on every bottle with its proudly swollen comb - the official symbol of Chianti Classico.

Organic viticulture for top quality in the bottle

From the very beginning, the d’Orsi couple have been fully committed to organic farming. In 1994, Casaloste was the first organic winery in Panzano officially certified by the ICEA (Istituto per la Certificazione Etica ed Ambientale). And this was for sure a big luck for the organic scene in Panzano - since then more and more winegrowers followed the example of Emilia and Giovanni. Today Panzano in Chianti is regarded as the organic district of Italy par excellence. But what does that mean in pure language? No chemical sprays are used, the energy is generated by solar panels and many other measures are fully committed to sustainable and organic farming. And recently thanks the top ratings in "Gambero Rosso" or "Vini di Veronelli" for the Don Vincenzo Chianti Classico Riserva, even stubborn skeptics got convinced that the best quality can also be achieved in the organic vineyards.