How Oils Come By Their Flavor

There are three categories of extra virgin olive oil: “gentile,” or mild; “armonico,” or balanced; and “fruttato,” or fruity.

A dark green color does not necessarily mean a fruitier oil. The basic rule is that the earlier the harvest and the less ripe the olive, the fruitier the oil.

Because of the early frost in Tuscany, that Italian region’s olives are often picked in October. Producers in southern Italy often wait, using riper olives that produce more oil but less flavor.

Southern oils are often of the mild or balanced variety, but a southern oil can be just as strong as a Tuscan oil if harvested early.