Frantoio Di Montalcino: Olive Oil Returns to Wine Country

Montalcino photo credit Frantonio di Montalcino

Impressive stretches of tidily arranged vineyards, picturesque parish churches in the background, sumptuous wine estates and mansions, and a notable number of luxury cars spread around the countryside roads and the tiny squares of the village; this is the typical view in Montalcino and its surroundings, today. The beautiful Tuscan hamlet on the top of a hill overlooking Val d’Orcia, listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list for over 20 years, is a true mecca for wine lovers. Montalcino is inextricably linked to one of the world’s most renowned red wines, Brunello di Montalcino, not to forget the lesser illustrious (yet much attainable, and sometimes equally interesting) Rosso di Montalcino. Read more about Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino. A hectare of vineyards here costs a fortune, and many fields have transitioned into vineyards over the past decades. This included olive groves. 

Olive Oil from Montalcino

Giuseppe Antonio Fortunato a relative newcomer to the region, shares, "This land also has an extraordinary vocation for olive oil, besides wine. Until the early 90s, almost 2/3 of the agricultural area was covered with olive trees. The village of Montalcino, on its own, hosted three olive mills while others were in the nearby villages,” adding, “Then, when Brunello exploded, the olive trees disappeared, and the mills closed.” That was all except for a small one in Montisi village and the one in the very center of Montalcino, which had been created as a cooperative back in the 50s by the fathers of today’s winemakers. As its name suggests, ‘La Spiga,’ the spike, was born as a common effort to raise the money needed to buy the first combine harvester and survived more as a sentimental affair rather than a productive one.

Finding a Miller & A Mill

Daniele Lepori with olive oil

A few years ago, Fortunato, who was born in Puglia (another Italian region where olive trees are deeply rooted in the soil and cultural heritage) and had a successful career in International Affairs and consulting, decided with a few friends to invest in food and agriculture. He recounts, "We were all well aware that the ‘Italy’ brand is quite strong in a few specific industries. One of these is the overall ‘bien vivre’ which is also expressed through food. We did our research and decided to skip the wine and look for something different", he explains. Serendipity played its role, then, while they were negotiating for a couple of farms in Umbria, mainly focused on olive oil. A friend, one of those lucky Brunello producers, told them that a young master miller was looking for a business partner to take over the old mill in Montalcino.

“The news made us prick up our ears: it could mean investing in an area of ​​absolute prestige, with a strong asset of quality, and partnering with someone with the required skills to succeed." This is how Fortunato’s team met Daniele Lepori, a brilliant and internationally known master miller hailing from the nearby Monte Amiata, where, together with his father, he had set up its own olive groves and extra virgin production. Looking at each other from two different sides of Val d’Orcia and giving birth to excellent oils, Amiata and Montalcino’s names have quite a different appeal. And it would have been a shame to let such a beautiful story end. This is how, in 2023, Frantoio di Montalcino was born.

Modern Technology Meets Management Vision

Frantoio di Montalcino product line

“Very quickly, we set up the partnership with Lepori and bought the mill: while the original place, in the center of the village, had been turned into a shop, since 2010, the olive oil production had been moved to a new facility in the upper part of the hill”, Fortunato shares. Yet, it was utterly rearranged with cutting-edge milling technologies, aiming to produce outstanding extra virgin olive oils. 

"Daniele contributed his milling skills, and we added our management vision from other industries. Today, our mill is the most up-to-date in Italy and probably in the world as it concerns a small, craft-oriented company. In collaboration with the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences at Perugia University, and with the acclaimed professor Maurizio Servili, we bet on applying the best technologies to a natural process such as oil extraction from olives, creating new solutions and customizing the machines according to our aims. Frantoio di Montalcino somehow serves—with mutual satisfaction for Servili and us—as a test bench on improving the milling techniques.” In particular, applying wine-producing technologies to olive oil, they use thermic shock and refrigerate every step of the process, starting from olive pressing, maintaining temperatures between 8 (or even less) and 18 degrees Celsius to enhance the aromas, preserve the nutritional properties and high polyphenols content and avoid any risk of oxidation. The ultimate goal —also pursued by bottling the oil on demand —is to ensure that the olive oil retains its flavor and freshness for a year or more.

Outstanding Olive Oils

Milling the olives from Lepori’s groves on Monte Amiata and those committed by a selected number of local growers in Montalcino – including a few winemakers who, in some cases, did not even harvest them – and the rest of Tuscany, Frantoio di Montalcino can count on a base of local varieties such as moraiolo, leccio del corno, olivastra seggianese, pendolino and frantoiano. Depending on harvesting time and origin, these spawn two extra virgin olive oils, each with its distinct flavor profile. In both cases, a blend is created; as Fortunato explains, "We don't really believe in monocultivar, and we rather want to offer our customer a consistent quality selecting the best olives year after year."

Brunera oil from Frantoio di Montalcino

Obtained from an early harvest and also adding potent olive varieties from Southern Italy like coratina and peranzana taken here with a refrigerated transport, brunera, a wink to Brunello wine but also to Lepori’s wife name, Rachele Brunello – is their "oil in tuxedo." Fiercely bitter yet elegant and with a fresh and lasting pungency, it does not overwhelm but enhances the food’s flavors: be it a juicy roast, a comforting winter soup, a rich chocolate soufflé or even a precious oyster.

A slightly late harvest of the Tuscan groves gives birth to Blu Italiano, which is equally good yet a bit gentler and more versatile. Perfect to be poured on a delicious traditional breakfast with warm bread and fresh ricotta cheese, fresh salads, delicate fish recipes, or even baby food such as creamy carrot soup.

Cinque Cento oils

Two condiments (flavored oils) complete the "Tuscan colors" range, inspired by ingredients and regional landscapes: the Red Chili is a medium-light hot condiment infused with Cayenne chili pepper grown in Bolgheri, another well-known wine village in the same region. A light yellow marks the Garlic and Chili condiment, where the two flavors are very well balanced. Both made with Blu Italiano extra virgin olive oil as a base, these are smooth, fresh, and rich with beautiful natural aromas that add taste to many recipes — starting with "aglio, olio e peperoncino” spaghetti — without resulting invasive. More references will follow, from white truffles from Umbria to fresh lemons and maybe even Mediterranean herbs. While it's just around the corner the launch of a new packaging line called Mama Cooking featuring bigger cans, specially made to encourage the use of quality extra virgin olive oil in foreign markets such as the Middle East, South Korea, or the US.

An Immersive Experience

Daniele Lepori leading tour

As their second harvest has been (partially) bottled, Frantoio di Montalcino has already notched numerous awards and recognitions in different countries. Yet, most of their customers are foreign visitors, mainly from the US, who stop by the mill when visiting the area, both for its wine and charming landscape. Fortunato, Lepori, and their partners know how to entice them to appreciate the many precious features of extra virgin olive oil. 

Visitors can book an immersive tour articulated in three different tasting steps. After visiting the milling plant and learning a few interesting things about the process, they can taste the different extra virgin olive oils with professional tasting glasses, guided by an expert to learn and understand every aspect. In the second phase, they appreciate the different features matching the two extra virgin labels to different, plain food such as boiled chickpeas, fresh tomatoes, or even fresh fruit. 

Only at the end is a proper, satisfying oil and food pairing served. The participant can thus appreciate the different hues of the oils and condiments with warm bread or the typical ciaccino (a sort of flatbread similar to focaccia), and even on dark chocolate. And if this could be something not totally new to those who already have a passion for olive oil, wait to taste chocolate with the garlic and chili condiment: an interesting experience, indeed, it leaves the mouth beautifully clean with a chocolate aftertaste thanks to the oil, cleaning up the garlic scent. Another of the many wonders of extra virgin olive oil.