The soil and cultivars

Far from any contamination or industrial influence, our olive trees have been happily growing for over 160 years on hills with soils rich in springs, 300 metres above sea level.
Facing east to greet the rising morning sun, they enjoy all the characteristics necessary to produce extra virgin olive oils of excellent fragrance and quality.

‘Verzen’ is the name of the district where my family, the Menini family, has always lived. An ancient plaque carved into the stone bearing the year 1605 tells us that the court certainly already existed at that time, and indeed is probably older, while notarial deeds from the 1800s testify to when it was finally possible to pass from sharecropping to owning the land being worked.

The soil on which the olive groves of our farm stand is calcareous, with a clayey-loam texture and a good presence of stones and rocks; together with the eastern exposure, these characteristics constitute an optimal situation for obtaining an excellent product.
It is estimated that the oldest trees were planted around the mid-1800s, while the others cover a time span from the end of World War II to the early 2000s, such as the latest cultivar introduced: the Leccio del Corno.

The cultivars of our extra virgin olive oils

‘Cultivar’ is the term used in agronomy to indicate the variety of a certain cultivated plant, in our case the olive tree. Each cultivar has specific characteristics of sensitivity to environmental agents, yields and flavours and smells that are further enriched with nuances by soil type and sun exposure.
Selecting the best balance of these factors and deciding how to blend or not to blend the oil obtained from each cultivar is what somewhat shapes the personality of a mill.

Grignano

An indigenous cultivar from the Mezzane valley, present throughout the area. It is a type of olive with a low yield and difficult to manage, but which repays with a very characteristic oil of the highest quality.

Favarol

A very widespread cultivar in Veneto, particularly in the Verona area, characterised by a good yield but with alternating years. Its aroma is fruity, slightly herbaceous, with a highlighted scent of artichoke and tomato. The flavour is well-balanced, with medium-light bitter and spicy notes.

Leccio del Corno

A typical Tuscan cultivar which we introduced in the early 2000s. We appreciate its artichoke fragrance and the pleasant bitter streak it gives the oil.

Leccino

his cultivar is widespread throughout Italy for its characteristics of early fructification, good productivity and good quality oil that is fruity and with a good sweet-sour-spicy balance;

Gentile

A cultivar originally from Molise, subject to the phenomenon of alternation. Very easy pulp-stone detachment. The oil extracted presents vegetal scents of green olives with a good balance of sweet and bitter-spicy notes.

Casaliva

This cultivar is native to Lombardy and Veneto and is generally the oil type produced on Lake Garda. A vigorous plant with high and constant productivity whose oil is light and fragrant.

Coratina

A cultivar characterised by alternating production and late ripening. The oil produced is yellow-green in colour with an intense and fruity flavour, slightly bitter and typically spicy due to the high concentration of polyphenols.