Food and wine are mainstays of Italian culture: they reflect our rich and multifaceted history, our deep values, and in one word, the uniqueness of our country. It is to preserve this heritage that many of our best and most typical specialties have received PDO (protected designation of origin) status. A PDO (DOP, in Italian) product can only be made within a specific area, to safeguard all its qualities and properties.
The excellence of PDO extra virgin olive oil cannot be disputed. Its production chain is entirely located in the PDO territory, as specified by the European Union regulations introduced to protect the name of extra virgin olive oil and other quality products and certify their authenticity.
In order to be classified as PDO, the entire production process, from olive cultivation to milling and bottling, must take place within a given geographical region, the boundaries of which are clearly defined. This guarantees that the extra virgin olive oil is authentic, and can be branded as PDO. The Protected designation of origin is the name of the area used as a designation for the oil. Ours is Garda PDO oil because it is entirely produced in a well-defined area in the environs of the renowned, namesake lake. Compliance to production standards is controlled by either a consortium or an independent certifying board appointed by the Italian Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policies.
Turri’s Garda PDO oil is certified by the Consorzio di Tutela, whose members are olive oil producers from Lombardy, Trentino Alto Adige and Veneto, and more specifically, the provinces of Brescia, Mantua, Trento and Verona. The consortium has issued very detailed production specifications covering every step of the process, from olive harvest to bottling.
Like all other PDO products, extra virgin Garda oil is endowed with some very special, if not unique characteristics. Its flavor is naturally delicate, and the aroma light and balanced, with notes of green grass. Our olive mill produces three types of extra virgin PDO oil.
Garda DOP Orientale Primizia del Fattore stands out for its light fruity notes, with hints of artichoke, which make it an ideal salad dressing, but also a surprisingly excellent ingredient for cakes and biscuits. With our Garda DOP Orientale “1924” we wanted to pay tribute to our grandfather, founder of Turri’s olive mill, who was born in 1924. This unfiltered oil is perfect drizzled either over fresh green salads or rich, piping-hot soups. And last but not least, there is our prized Garda DOP Orientale “Villa”, only available in very limited amounts, because it is made exclusively with the olives from our grove.
