Stories from la Tenuta
We have guarded our Siracusana!
Beautiful things should be shared, so they become even more beautiful! It is with immense pleasure, great emotion, and a slightly trembling voice that we announce that we have obtained the prestigious Slow Food “Secular Olives” presidium. Now let's explain it properly. When you care for a centuries-old olive tree, you feel the weight of responsibility for a priceless legacy. Just approach one of those majestic olive trees to sense a soul that has nourished that place for hundreds of years. You feel the power of memory vibrating in the wind like the leaves on its branches. Its broad and mighty trunk, just caressing it, is like crossing the invisible threshold of a time machine. It instantly fills you with vertigo, bewilderment, and wonder. The estate's tree heritage, with its centuries-old Siracusana olive trees, is part of Slow Food's noble initiative to enhance the landscape and environmental value of centuries-old olive trees nationwide, which then produce excellent extra virgin olive oil. We'll work harder every day, respecting and caring for them. Like in love stories, it will be a balance of giving and receiving, and they'll repay us with their rewards. They are witnesses of the civilizations and divinities of the places. We are the custodians of this great legacy and part of an incredible miracle: their survival! Slow Food is proposing a new label that complements the mandatory label and, in addition to the legally required information, provides information on producers, plant varieties and the areas where they are grown, animal breeds raised, cultivation, breeding, and processing techniques, and animal welfare. Here's ours: Siracusana Zaituna variety - Narrative label Organic extra virgin olive oil Siracusana Zaituna from Tenuta Cavasecca: ● The territory and the variety The olive groves—more than 50 hectares containing approximately 300 Siracusana olive trees, ranging in age from 700 to 1,000 years—are located at an average altitude of 300 meters, on calcareous soil. The area is flat, characterized by an extremely dry climate and significant daily temperature variations. ● Cultivation The olive groves are fertilized with organic fertilizer twice a year. Weeds and pruning residues are chopped up and left in the fields to enrich the soil with organic matter and limit water loss. Drip irrigation is used as a backup, and natural products are used to control pests and diseases. ● The collection In September, before the drupes reach 5% veraison (the beginning of ripening marked by the change in color), the olives are picked, placed in perforated plastic crates and transported to the mill. ● The processing It takes place within four hours of the harvest at the Frantoi Covato continuous-cycle mill in San Giacomo, about 35 kilometers from the olive groves. The olives are washed and pressed, and the resulting paste is kneaded and passed through a two-phase decanter. ● Storage and packaging Siracusana Zaituna organic extra virgin olive oil is filtered and stored in stainless steel containers under nitrogen (which prevents oxidation). It is packaged for sale in dark glass or bag-in-tubes.
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Slow Food Italy: Cavasecca once again among the best extra virgin olive oils.
Tenuta Cavasecca – with its FIRRISA and MISCAZZÉ – joins SLOW FOOD ITALIA's special selection of the best Extra Virgin Olive Oils 2019/20 Our congratulations to all the selected companies!
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Extra Gold Medal and Silver Medal at BIOL 2020
The Estate wins two more major awards at the latest edition of BIOL. On the top step of the podium is Firrisa: our pure Tonda Iblea managed to impress experts and non-experts alike by winning the Extra Gold Medal. Our Miscazzè comes next: a blend of Siracusana, Biancolilla, Nocellara, and Tonda Iblea. The BIOL award – the prize for the best extra virgin olive oil from organic farming – is awarded every i year based on the judgment expressed by an international panel of olive oil experts. More than 300 producers from over 17 different countries around the world, spread across all 5 continents, participate every year in the rigorous examination carried out by international tasting panels and qualified chemical laboratories selected and established by BIOL. Our congratulations to all the contest participants and winners!
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BIBENDA 2020: 5 drops for Tenuta Cavasecca
The Estate has won a major recognition from the Italian Sommelier Foundation. Our Firrisa, with its medium fruitiness and the scent of freshly cut grass and green tomato, has won the 5 drops BIBENDA 2020. Our congratulations to all the contest participants and winners!
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