Carolea, Nocellara and Coratina
Tenute Cristiano Bio and Carolea are a mono varietal extra virgin olive oil produced exclusively with olives of Carolea cultivar, a typical variety cultivated in Calabria since the 7th century BC. This is why we often call it Carolea in purezza.
Carolea is a very ancient cultivar whose name in old Greek means as big as a nut. It is a vigorous and highly productive cultivar with an upward growth form. It is resistant to cold temperatures, drought and spring frost. The foliage has the shape of a reversed pyramid and it has thin and straight branches. The leaves, average to big in dimensions, are elongated, regular and light green. It produces good-sized fruits (> 4 g), elliptic in shape with a truncated base and a rounded tip. Oil yield is high and reaches a peak in November; color change is gradual and occurs late in the season, whereas the skin color change is late and progressive.
The olives are used both for oil and as table olive.
We also have on our estate a few trees of Nocellara Messinese and Coratina that we use for our ultra premium blends, Tenute Cristiano Grand Cru and Bio Organic. These cultivar give life to a very precious extra virgin olive oil particularly high in antioxidants.