Pruneti Olive Oil: the Best of Chianti
By Luca Del Fante, photo by Brenna Boone
Pruneti olive oils come from the fertile hills of the Chianti area (San Polo in Chianti), on property owned by the Pruneti and dating back to the mid-1800s. Currently, brothers Gionni and Paolo manage the company. They continue to respect family traditions while embracing new and contemporary approaches to improve the quality of their products ranging from wine to saffron and iris, which is sought out for medicinal and cosmetic productions.
Technology and tradition go hand in hand to maintain quality while respecting the age-old processes used by the company. An interesting example is when in the past the olives were harvested for pressing. The pickers used hand methods to calculate when to harvest or how to collect data on the qualities of the olives. The contemporary machines utilized for certain processes are programmed to maintain the same working methods today.
The featured oils made from pure olive varieties that are not blended with other olive types – Leccino, Moraiolo, and Frantoio. These varieties produce an excellent oils that are flowery/fruity, light, and slightly bitter. Pruneti oils are organic and “montocultivar,” meaning that each bottle contains solely the olive oil variety listed on the label. The company also produces DOP Chianti Classico blend of Tuscan varieties that are united in a well-balanced olive oil.
The olive oils will be served with specific dishes at the James Beard Foundation, including the cauliflower and pecorino appetizer, risotto (produced by Acquerello), and the lamb main dish.