Big problems in Spain this year.  Heavy rain started to fall in Andalucia, particularly the Jaen area, in mid-December when the harvest was in full swing and it continued through the rest of the winter months.  It was still raining some of the time when I visited in early March and many of the groves were waterlogged – a very unusual sight for Spain.  The land is just not geared to dealing with so much water.  There is no terracing and many of the trees are planted against the contours.  Rushing water has broken water courses, washed away tracks and roads and damaged houses.  The sheer volume of water was such that the reservoirs overflowed and this added to the damage.

The forecasts for the 2009 harvest had been very good and there are mixed stories circulating as to the effect that this rain has had.   In terms of quality things may not be as bad as was first thought, though the overall quantity will be down from those original forecasts.  However, the effect on quality is huge. The ratios of extra virgin to ordinary olive oil are greatly reduced and prices for extra virgin olive oil are expected to rise.

If you are in the market for premium oils there are still good oils to be had, though prices may be higher.  This is because they were pressed from olives which were harvested before the rains started.  In Priego de Cordoba, for example, picking starts for the top oils from mills like Virgin de la Castello and Fuente de Madera in November and is complete by the start of the main harvest in early December.  Also other areas such as Valencia, Murcia and Tabernas were not so badly affected and they picked even earlier for their top oils.

I started my travels this year in just these regions, down the Western coast of Spain, and I would recommend buyers to look at the oils which are currently coming out of them.  Growers are looking to maximise their potential, planting a careful mix of non-indigenous olive varieties to complement the local ones.  Picual and Arbequina are the favourite choices and they are giving much more fruity tones to the blends in which they are included than has often been the case in their own regions.  This is partly to do with the weather – cooler than Jaen and warmer than Catalonia, the earlier harvest dates and the soils and microclimates where the groves are planted.

Travel beyond the coastal orange groves up into the hills of Valencia, for example, to find Picual from Granada and Arbequina from Catalonia planted with local varieties such as Genovesa, Blanquette, Biel, Alfafarenca and Chanjlot Real.  The latter variety in particular is giving a distinctive flavour to blends with Picual and Arbequina.

A little further south in Murcia, Cuquillo is the local variety which is adding robust depth and flavour to the new blends.  The result is a really well balanced herbaceous oil with complex flavour tones and a long after-taste. 

Another region worth investigating is the Tabernas Desert just north of Almeria.   Set in spaghetti western country new olive groves are making the desert flourish.  Normally the land here is dry and very brown, but with carefully controlled drip irrigation the olive trees are growing well. The harsh climate with its very long hours of sunshine seems to suit the trees.   When I was there in March this year the hills were unusually green – the result of heavy rainfalls the week before.  There were even some wild flowers growing in the groves.   

There are a number of different growers in this region, varying in size, and I have written about them before but this year the quality seems to be particularly good.  The oil pressed from Hojiblanca olives has more depth than usual and the hope is that it will continue to add its flowery tones to the blends.  The Picual single varietals are also very good. 

In Picual country itself – Jaen – the premium oils will be available as usual as most growers managed to pick a reasonable amount of top class fruit before the rains came but the long hot summer has meant that they oils are darker and more robust than in some years and the fruity tones have moved from fresh tomatoes to green bananas, bitter herbs, black tea and almond skins.

The effects of considerable research into the best way to cultivate, harvest and process olives into olive oil are showing themselves across the board in Spain.  The range of styles and specific tastes and flavour is now very wide indeed and even regions which have not been considered to be the best producers of olive oil are now offering fresh and clean oils with interesting flavour tones.  So be adventurous and let your taste buds lead you into new areas and new products.