THE VILLAGE
EXPLORER FOOD & WINE | ART | EVENTS
Liquid gold of the Overberg Writer Tweet Gainsborough-Waring
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live trees thrive in the Mediterranean climate, which is why the Western Cape, with its mild winters and long, hot, dry summers is ideally suited to their cultivation. With the Overstrand’s recent designation as a Unesco Creative City of Gastronomy, finding a number of top olive oil producers in and around Hermanus came as no surprise, with some farms offering olive oil tastings. The first two olive trees in the Cape were planted by Jan van Riebeeck in 1661. In the early 20th century Ferdinando Costa, an Italian immigrant, started experimenting with olive cultivation. He began large-scale planting in Paarl in 1925 and, since the 1930s, the industry has grown rapidly, with more than 300 olive producers countrywide. Produced from quality cultivars, South African olive oils have regularly received awards at an international level. Like wine, a unique culture has evolved around olive oil that encompasses its production and of course the gastronomic and health aspects of the end product. Unlike wine, olive oil is best enjoyed fresh – straight from the press. After two years, olive oil will not improve. Like wine there are different cultivars. In South Africa the four most commonly used for both table olives and oil are Nocellara del Belice from Sicily, Kalamata from Greece, Manzanilla from Spain, and Mission from California.
Olives are harvested annually and the time taken for a tree to reach full production can be anything from 5 to 12 years. The colour of an olive indicates its ripeness. All olives start out green and become darker as they ripen. The best time to harvest is dictated by the cultivar.
ABOVE: Hans Evenhuis outside the olive barn at Hemelrand. ABOVE RIGHT: Adriaan Davids in the FS17 block at Gabriëlskloof. BELOW: Olive picking during harvest time.
The crème de la crème of this liquid gold is Extra Virgin Oil (EVOO). This is the highest grade and is obtained through cold extraction. EVOO does not come from a second extraction or press, and it has no additives or defects.
EVOO can be found in three different styles: delicate – used as a butter replacement; medium – great for salad dressings, pastry, pasta and sauces; and intense – best for roasting, basting and swirling into soup. Hamilton Russell Vineyards has 3 050 trees of Frantoio, South African Leccino and Mission cultivars. Their olives are grown in the traditional way without irrigation, resulting in low yields, both in terms of kilograms per tree and oil yield per kilogram. The olives are hand-picked at a specific stage of ripeness which results in a fresh, aromatic, full-flavoured oil with a peppery finish. The 2019 harvest was a good one. The main factors behind this were lower temperatures and rainfall during the winter period which gave the trees a good rest. Thereafter, conditions present during the flowering and fruit growth period resulted in an above-average yield, with a smaller fruit size that produced an intensely flavoured and structured olive oil. For further information call 028 312 3595. On a high ridge in Hemel-en-Aarde Valley sits Hemelrand, owned by olive growers Hans and Mary Ann Evenhuis. With 4 500 trees of four varieties, it is a relatively small retirementhobby operation driven more by passion than anything else.
PHOTO: Tweet Gainsborough-Waring PHOTO: Tweet Gainsborough-Waring PHOTOS: Gabriëlskloof
Among their clientèle are European visitors who make a point of coming to the valley to buy Hans's extra virgin olive oils, in particular his whole fresh lemon and his home-grown rosemary-infused olive oils. “They come for a can of the best,” he says. He truly lives the culture of the olive, offering a traditional barter system known in Italy as the frantoio, whereby other small producers make use of his processing equipment in return for a share of their oil. Hemelrand’s olive oils have received a number of awards, including gold and silver at the SA Olive Awards (a premier event on the South African olive industry's calendar). Hemelrand Olive Oil can be found on the farm (by appointment), at local markets, delis and farmstalls in and around Hermanus. It is also popular with local restaurateurs. But back to the olive culture: Hans says there is nothing better than dunking a piece of fresh bread in the newly processed liquid gold as it flows from the centrifuge. It is, however, a fickle crop; in 2019 Hans says he had a bumper crop, but this year there is not an olive to be seen. Among the reasons for this are that the winter cold spells were not cold enough for the development of the flowers and fruit-set, and the flowers that did develop were blown off by gale-force winds. Tastings at Hemelrand can be arranged by appointment only. Call 083 325 0587 or 028 314 0940.
Bernhard Heyns, the owner of Gabriëlskloof, planted 11 000 olive trees in the early 2000s. These trees have been nurtured over the years by Adriaan Davids, a man with a passion for olives, evidenced by the ‘trophy room’ where their olive oil awards are proudly displayed. Walking through a block of the cultivar, FS17, Adriaan emphasised the need for constant management to ensure tree health and an even spread of fruit across all the branches. Going the extra mile includes giving the trees a boost with organic food during winter and the flowering season. During the harvest the olives are kept as cool as possible and pressed on the day of harvest. Should temperatures rise during pressing, the process is immediately stopped and any remaining olives are put in a cold room until the temperature has stabilised to below 30°C. Continues on P 13
