Extra Virgin Alliance - The Olive Oils

Herdade do Esporão

Alentejo, Portugal

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Since its founding in 1973, Esporão has become one of the largest producers of Portuguese wine and olive oil, playing a decisive role in raising international awareness of the Alentejo region and exporting to more than 50 countries. Today, Esporão is an ambassador of Portuguese culture. Dedicated to sustainability, it is committed to building meaningful relationships with customers and consumers worldwide. Since 1997, Esporão has taken advantage of the knowhow acquired in wine production and has been applying it to making high quality olive oils. Esporão currently tents more than 100ha of organic olive groves with four distinct olive varieties.
In addition to its own production, Esporão partners with more than 60 local farmers equally dedicated to preserving native olives and traditional Alentejo groves.

OUR MISSION
Esporão extra virgin olive oils are the expression of our land, the beautiful Alentejo region of Portugal. Our olive trees have been planted over time and are still here teaching and inspiring us every day.
We protect native olive varieties that are carefully selected and cold pressed in our olive mill at the Esporão estate.
We only use sustainable processes to respect both nature and people, and to ensure that all the nutrients, aromas, and flavours are preserved.

THE OLIVE MILL
The Herdade do Esporão mill was designed and built in 2016 to adhere to circular economy principles by which all the olive oils are produced sustainably and nothing is lost in production. Within hours of the harvest, the fruit arrives in the mill for careful sorting by variety and quality before being pressed. Low temperature extraction ensures that the nutrients, aromas, and flavours are preserved.

OLEOLOGIST
Ana Gaspar, who holds a degree in Food Engineering from Coimbra Agricultural School and a postgraduate qualification in Agronomy from Beja Agricultural School, currently manages olive oil quality and olive suppliers at Esporão.

Herdade do Esporão Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Where to buy

Herdade do Esporão Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Intensity:

Mild

Medium

Robust

Proper Storage

Use of inert gas blankets storage tanks / bottles and other methods for protecting quality (e.g. temperature controls in production, storage and/or shipping)

Tasting Notes

Label and/or website descriptions of the positive attributes—bitterness, pungency and the range of fruity flavors—and serving suggestions

Traceability

Offering consumers access to traceability information (e.g., QR Codes, blockchain, etc.) Special recognition given to third-party verification

Cultivars

Declaration on the label and/or the website of olive cultivar(s) used to produce the oil

Biodiverse Groves

Hedgerows, insectary planting, owl boxes, cover cropping, interplanting and other practices to bring more diversity to the plant, animal and microbial communities in the grove; recognition for certification programs

Habitat Restoration

Reforestation and rewilding projects

Sustainable

Sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices, including water conservation, organic material and mill by-product recycling/composting, cover cropping, soil building, renewable energy, etc

Family Owned & Operated

Brand is owned and operated by a family company

Small Farm Sourcing

Buys olives from family farmers

Progressive Purchasing

Sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices, including water conservation, organic material and mill by-product recycling/composting, cover cropping, soil building, renewable energy, etc

Community Programs

Involvement in community projects and philanthropy

Estate grown

Grown on a single estate

Harvest:

October-December

Cultivar(s):

Range of varieties harvested in the region.

Tasting notes:

AROMA Fruity green and mature olives. Notes of fruit, grass, and leaves. PALATE Fresh, slightly bitter, and spicy with a finish of dried nuts.

Serving suggestions:

Excellent for cooking and frying a wide variety of recipes including soups, baking and roasting.

Herdade do Esporão Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Where to buy

Herdade do Esporão Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Intensity:

Mild

Medium

Robust

Proper Storage

Use of inert gas blankets storage tanks / bottles and other methods for protecting quality (e.g. temperature controls in production, storage and/or shipping)

Tasting Notes

Label and/or website descriptions of the positive attributes—bitterness, pungency and the range of fruity flavors—and serving suggestions

Traceability

Offering consumers access to traceability information (e.g., QR Codes, blockchain, etc.) Special recognition given to third-party verification

Cultivars

Declaration on the label and/or the website of olive cultivar(s) used to produce the oil

Biodiverse Groves

Habitat Restoration

Reforestation and rewilding projects

Sustainable

Sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices, including water conservation, organic material and mill by-product recycling/composting, cover cropping, soil building, renewable energy, etc

Organic

Organic certification by government authorized agency

Family Owned & Operated

Brand is owned and operated by a family company

Small Farm Sourcing

Buys olives from family farmers

Progressive Purchasing

Sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices, including water conservation, organic material and mill by-product recycling/composting, cover cropping, soil building, renewable energy, etc

Community Programs

Involvement in community projects and philanthropy

Harvest:

October-December

Cultivar(s):

Arbequina, Blanqueta, Cobrançosa, Galega and Picual.

Tasting notes:

AROMA Green grass, green apple, green and ripe tomato, arugula, artichoke, and banana peel. PALATE Complex, bitter, spicy and persistent.

Serving suggestions:

Ideal for finishing dishes, soups, tomato salad and pesto.

Herdade do Esporão Selecção Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Where to buy

Herdade do Esporão Selecção Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Intensity:

Mild

Medium

Robust

Proper Storage

Use of inert gas blankets storage tanks / bottles and other methods for protecting quality (e.g. temperature controls in production, storage and/or shipping)

Tasting Notes

Label and/or website descriptions of the positive attributes—bitterness, pungency and the range of fruity flavors—and serving suggestions

Traceability

Offering consumers access to traceability information (e.g., QR Codes, blockchain, etc.) Special recognition given to third-party verification

Cultivars

Declaration on the label and/or the website of olive cultivar(s) used to produce the oil

Biodiverse Groves

Habitat Restoration

Reforestation and rewilding projects

Sustainable

Sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices, including water conservation, organic material and mill by-product recycling/composting, cover cropping, soil building, renewable energy, etc

Family Owned & Operated

Brand is owned and operated by a family company

Small Farm Sourcing

Buys olives from family farmers

Progressive Purchasing

Sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices, including water conservation, organic material and mill by-product recycling/composting, cover cropping, soil building, renewable energy, etc

Community Programs

Involvement in community projects and philanthropy

Harvest:

October-November

Cultivar(s):

Arbequina, Azeiteira, Blanqueta, Cobrançosa, Cordovil, Galega and Picual

Tasting notes:

AROMA Herbal, fresh cut grass, tomato vines, green and ripe tomato, banana peel. PALATE Elegant, balanced and complex, persistent with green walnuts

Serving suggestions:

Ideal for drizzling vegetables and greens, asparagus, grilled meat, finishing dishes or to simply dip bread.