Olive Oil Gift Set

Monterosa Tasting Kit – Olive Oil Gift Set

The Monterosa Olive Oil Gift Set is the best way to discover the flavor differences between Monterosa's five monocultivar olive oils. With a tasting kit, all five varieties are presented side by side. The beautiful gift box contains 5 small 20ml bottles of the following hand-picked olive oils from the Algarve in Portugal:

Monterosa Olive Oil – 5 varieties in one box

Verdeal: Extra virgin oil from southern Portugal, very mild, with a particularly fruity note. Aromas of freshly cut grass pair with a sweet scent of almonds. Perfect for salad, tomatoes, bread, cold soups, or vinaigrettes.

Maçanilha: Extra virgin oil from southern Portugal, harmonious, with a particularly herbal note. In the 2016 Olivo Award, the gourmet magazine Der Feinschmecker judged the herb-intensive Maçanilha oil as follows: "Thyme, parsley, mint, basil, lush green, almost unripe apples, lamb's lettuce, avocado, plus a very delicate chicory bitterness and a touch more spiciness. Wonderful with a chickpea salad with grilled octopus or burrata, grilled peppers, and tuna ventresca (belly meat)."

Picual: Extra virgin oil from southern Portugal, intensely fruity in taste. In the 2016 Olivo Award, Der Feinschmecker judged it as Portugal's "Oil of the Year": bitter, spicy, and powerfully aromatic! Grass, artichoke, cardoon, green tomatoes, pepper, arugula, sage, lemon zest – spectacular.

Cobrancosa: The spiciest of the Monterosa oils, made from an ancient indigenous Portuguese olive variety. Grassy green notes, scents of olive and tomato leaves as well as white pepper. Pairs well with meat, vegetables, and soups.

and Frantoio: Originally from Tuscany, this variety is considered one of the most important Italian olive oil varieties of all. Its typical character is raw and unruly; consuming it brings out the characteristic tickle in the throat. The olive possesses fine aromas, acidity, and fruitiness, which are permeated by sharpness and bitterness. One can taste characteristic notes of fresh grass, green apple, artichoke, marjoram, rosemary, lettuce, celery, and almonds.

Since not all varieties are processed into olive oil in some years, it may happen that one variety is included twice.

Monterosa is a family-run artisanal business in the eastern Algarve. Located only about 7km from the cooling sea, a fresh breeze always blows here. In 1969, Detlev von Rosen emigrated from Sweden to Portugal to produce tomatoes and iceberg lettuce for the Northern European market. Later, he was, and still is today, very successful in cultivating high-quality ornamental plants.

Since the year 2000, olive trees have been growing on 20 hectares. The previous summers were hot and dry, and the orange trees on the plantation required vast amounts of water (1 orange tree needs 1000L of water per week). So, without further ado, olive trees were planted with the goal of producing a particularly high-quality extra virgin olive oil. Five different olive varieties grow at Monterosa: Verdeal, Maçanilha, Picual, Cobrançosa, and Frantoio. However, olive trees have been nurtured and cared for at this special place for 2,000 years, as a Roman trade route connecting Lisbon to Corduba ran through Moncarapacho. The in-house stone mill, however, is state-of-the-art. Without long transport routes, the hand-picked olives can be processed into the finest olive oil directly on the plantation.