Product Description

The Intosso Monocultivar Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a rare and superior category oil obtained directly by cold pressing of freshly picked Abruzzo Intosso olives, a nearly extinct varietal from the Abruzzo region, prized for its large fruit and small seed. Monocultivar extra virgin olive oil is produced from a single, specific variety of olive. This method highlights the unique flavours, aromas, and “terroir” (geographic character) of that particular olive, rather than blending multiple types.

With a delicate flavour, traditionally harmonious and balanced, the Intosso has clear aromas of artichoke and tomato leaf on the nose, fruity and intense in its nuances. The olives are grown in a small plot in Pianella, Abruzzo, and each year are harvested by hand and pressed within 8 hours of picking. Only a small batch is prepared each year and bottles of this oil are highly prized by chefs and lovers of EVOO. Each bottle is individually numbered and is presented in a decorative cardboard box.

Intosso is wonderful drizzled on bruschetta, or used together with other Rustichella d’Abruzzo products, such as their pasta, to celebrate the traditional foods of Abruzzo.

About the Producer

Rustichella d’Abruzzo is one of the few genuinely artisan pasta manufactures operating in Italy. They use a blend of only the highest grade hard durum wheat which they can source from Italy, Canada and Australia to achieve the ideal balance of proteins, flavour and texture. Once the dough is mixed, it is pressed through bronze dies which gives the pasta a rough and porous surface. This allows the pasta to cook evenly and bind better with sauces and flavours. The pasta is dried at low temperatures over 36 to 50 hours in static drying rooms with regulated humidity to allow the proper fermentation of the semolina and the flavour to fully develop. The pasta will hold its shape during cooking, par-cooking and reheating.

Rustichella d’Abruzzo is found deep in the green Vestine hills, in the central region of Abruzzo on the Adriatic coast. In 1924 Gaetano Sergiacomo established the business in the province of Penne, to conserve traditional methods of pasta production. Three generations later, Rustichella is still a family business managed by Gaetano’s grandson, Gianluigi Peduzzi. Today, apart from their world-famous pasta products, they also produce a range of other artisan food products highlighting the superb quality produce from the Abruzzo region.

Rustichella is absolutely committed to traditional production techniques, and a quality artisan product.

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