The Oil
The GroveAquiferra is a grove of 650 olive trees planted on 6 acres of free-draining, ashy sandy loam over gravel. The soil type is classified as Poporangi known locally as red metal. Below it flows the Heretaunga Aquifer. The area experiences hot, dry summers and frosty winters. Of the traditional olive growing regions of the world, New Zealand’s climate most closely resembles that of Tuscany. 
The Trees The majority of olive trees at Aquiferra are Tuscan varieties – Frantoio and Leccino with some Pendolino as pollinators. The balance are Picual, from Spain, and a hedge-row on the western boundary of the more wind-tolerant Greek variety, Koroneiki. These were selected to produce high quality cuisine oil. In one corner of the grove are three trees each of Kalamata and Manzanilla for home use as table olives.
Most of these trees were planted in Autumn, 2003, laid out in formal rows 6 x 6 metres apart. Posts and wires along the rows were used to hold the drip-line irrigation hoses and provide support for juvenile trees. In order to allow some mechanical harvesting, the posts and wires
were removed in 2010. The Process Olives at Aquiferra are harvested during late May and June. The Leccino and Koroneiki are hand-picked using the traditional method of strip-raking the olives onto sheeting on the ground. They are then gently poured into shallow, aerated crates and taken to a nearby olive press where they are pressed within 24 hours of harvest. The Picual and Frantoio are machine harvested by HB Olive Harvesting, using a tree vibrator mounted on a tractor. They are also pressed within 24 hours of harvest. Our harvest is cold pressed using an Officine Mechaniche Toscane SPA press at The Village Press,
Hawke's Bay. The oil is stored in stainless steel vats and allowed to settle for 2-3 months
before blending and bottling in dark green glass. The Oil We have a limited supply available of our 2011 Aquiferra Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This is a medium intensity blend of Picual, Leccino, Frantoio and Pendolino olives. It has smoothly balanced fruit and herbaceous flavours with a soft peppery finish. NZLab tests verified their free fatty/oleic acid levels and peroxide values are well within New Zealand requirements for certified extra virgin olive oil. If stored correctly this oil will easily last for 2 years from pressing.
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