Olivaverde and the Spanish oil school
We are pleased to be working closely with Nicola in Spain, where she is setting up a Spanish olive oil school, located in the heart of the Granada Province.
The Spanish school will offer workshops and tours and the opportunity to visit the local olive groves, to see the olive harvest in progress and experience the contrast of today’s modern practices with the more traditional methods.
You will visit a working mill at the height of production and also a 500 year old mill which is now a beautifully restored museum. The school will take place at the peak of the olive harvest and will include workshops, local food and wine tasting and a chance to visit the Moorish city of Granada and visit some of the beautiful historical sites around this enchanting city. Details of the Spanish olive oil school tour itinerary are below, and it is a very full and comprehensive package offered to clients.
The Spanish oil tour will take place over two full days and on the first morning you'll visit the local olive groves and see the olive harvest close up before visiting the local olive mill which will be in full production and you will be taken on a guided tour, taste the freshly pressed oil and meet the owner, Victor.
Later in the day you'll head in to Central Granada and visit Taberna Granados which is one of the oldest bars in Granada, where you will meet with expert Spanish Wine Sommelier, Javier who will talk you through a wine tasting which will include 6 local wines and accompanying tapas. You will then have the evening free to explore the city before the driver collects you to return you to your accommodation.
The second full day will include a guided tour of the beautiful Alhambra Palace and the vast gardens of Generalife as well as the beautiful tiled rooms in the Palace of Nazari. Your guide will be informative and you’ll receive a thorough introduction to the history of Granada with the tour finishing in the central square Plaza Santa Ana, which is the oldest square in Granada. From here you will meet your tapas guide and visit four of the renowned Top 10 tapas bars in Granada. We’ll provide some history about each bar, and you’ll taste some of the best traditional tapas in Granada while soaking up the Granada tapas culture in all its colourful glory.
After lunch we will leave the city and head to the small village of Niguelas to meet Violetta who will take you on a tour of the Olive Oil museum and preserved olive mill which is approximately 500 years old. She will show you olive groves and there will also be a tasting of several olive oils from the region, as well as salts and vinegars. The final event of the tour will be a grand dinner close to your accommodation at the family run bar "Nono" in a small Spanish Pueblo. You will be served traditional dishes using local ingredients cooked to traditional recipes by the bar owner Antonio "Nono", along with local wine and Alhambra beer. Finally returning to your accommodation and departing the next morning after breakfast.
Nicola has been working with us at Olivaverde in the UK and Malta and she will be involved with us in the setting up of a dedicated Mediterranean olive oil school based in Malta in 2018.
The new olive oil school in Granada will be open to clients who are interested in learning more about the wonderful oils from the beautiful part of Spain, this includes talks and workshops on local olive varieties, the history of olive oil making in Spain and current oil tasting techniques.
Spain will play an important and central role in the growth of olive oil schools offered by Olivaverde in the Mediterranean region and we are sure that the new school in Granada will prove extremely popular.
