EN Official Journal of the European Union C 125/19

Publication of an application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs

2010/C 125/10

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months of the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘MONTORO-ADAMUZ’

EC No: ES-PDO-0005-0658-08.11.2007

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1. Name:

‘Montoro-Adamuz’

2. Member State or Third Country:

Spain

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1. Type of product:

Class 1.5 Oils and fats (butter, margarine, oil, etc.)

3.2. Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies:

Extra virgin olive oil obtained from the fruit of the olive tree (Olea Europaea L.), of the following varieties: Nevadillo Negro, Picual, Lechín de Sevilla, Picudo and Carrasqueño de la Sierra. The native variety Nevadillo Negro, when more than 10 %, and the Picual variety are considered the main varieties, both representing more than 98 % in the blend of oils.

Extraction takes place exclusively by mechanical or physical processes that do not modify the oil, but preserve the flavour, fragrance and characteristics of the fruit from which it is obtained.

The oils have the following physico-chemical characteristics:

Acidity Maximum 0,5 % Humidity Maximum 0,1 % Peroxide value Maximum 20 mEq. O2/kg K270 (Absorbency 270 nm) Maximum 0,18 Total polyphenols (2) (ppm) Minimum 700 ppm K225 (Bitterness) Minimum 0,3 Waxes Maximum 150 mg/kg of fat Stability Minimum 80 (hours at 100 °C)





Fatty Acids Composition





Myristic acid C14:0 ≤ 0,05 % Palmitic acid C16:0 9,5-12,5 % Palmitoleic acid C16:1 0,3-3,5 % Margaric acid C17:0 ≤ 0,1 % Margaroleic acid C17:1 ≤ 0,1 % Stearic acid C18:0 2,2-4,0 % Oleic acid C18:1 > 78 % Linoleic acid C18:2 3,5-7,5 % Linoleic acid C18:3 ≤ 1 % Arachidic acid C20:0 ≤ 0,6 % Gadoleic acid C20:0 ≤ 0,4 % Behenic acid C22:0 ≤ 0,1 % Lignoceric acid C24:0 ≤ 0,1 %

From the sensory viewpoint, the extra virgin olive oil ‘Montoro-Adamuz’ can be considered an oil of great aromatic complexity. It is defined by a median fruitiness > 4, its positive attributes being ‘frutado de aceituna’, ‘verde hoja’, and ‘otras frutas maduras’.

Sensory characteristics Median fruitiness Greater than 4 Median bitterness 2,0-6,5 Median spiciness 1,5-6,5 Median defect Equal to 0

The specific characteristics that define ‘Montoro-Adamuz’ oil are owed to its high content of total polyphenols, exceeding 700 ppm, which are responsible for the characteristic bitterness of the oil, and for its great chemical stability against oxidation, a characteristic for which this oil has been appreciated since time immemorial.

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only):

Not applicable

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only):

Not applicable

3.5. Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area:

The production of olives and the preparation of the product take place within the geographical area identified in (4).

3.6. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.:

The oil is packaged in glass, metallic or ceramic food-grade containers. The Regulatory Council may authorise any other type of material for use in packaging provided it is inert and does not degrade the colour and visual appearance of the contents, or in order to comply with the trade and/or legal requirements of third countries.

3.7. Specific rules on labelling:

The words ‘Denominación de Origen Protegida Montoro-Adamuz’ must appear on both the label and the numbered label on the back. The labelling on the containers must include the logo of the Protected Denomination of Origin ‘Montoro-Adamuz’.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area:

The geographical area with the denomination ‘Montoro-Adamuz’ corresponds to the agricultural area in the mountains of the province if Córdoba; to the south it borders the Guadalquivir basin, to the north the Valle de los Pedroches area, to the east the mountains of Andujar in the province of Jaén and to the west the mountains to the north of Seville.

The defined geographical area comprises the following municipalities of the province of Córdoba: Montoro, Adamuz, Espiel, Hornachuelos, Obejo, Villaharta, Villanueva del Rey and Villaviciosa de Córdoba.

5. Link with the geographical area:

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area:

The defined geographical area contains the only olive plantation in Andalusia established on soil of paleozoic origin; formed by granite, slate, quartzite and diorite, it is acid in nature with a pH between 5 and 5,6 and shallow, while all other olive plantations in southern Spain are on limestone soils that are basic in nature.

The area is in a morphological and structural unit of paleozoic origin, the Sierra Morena range, its southern border being the Guadalquivir basin, a tectonic fault which delimits the Baetic mountain ranges of the Iberian Peninsula.

Temperatures are characterised by an acute contrast between the warm summer and cold winter seasons with a maximum average of around 13 °C for January and around 35 °C for July, and a minimum average of 3 °C for January and 18 °C for July, which gives an annual temperature range of 19 °C, with light average precipitation of between 600 and 700 mm a year concentrated in the winter and spring. It is a hillside district, of steep topography, with an average height of 425 m, a southerly aspect, and a high level of sunlight of between 2 800 and 3 000 hours a year.

These agrological conditions together with high annual rates of evapo-transpiration, of between 800 and 900 mm, and the steep average gradients found throughout the district, close to 23 %, result in a high level of erosion and consequently a low covering of soil which increase even further the shortage of water faced by the crop in summer and autumn.

The specificities of the geographic area are responsible for the development of the native variety Nevadillo Negro, which is perfectly adapted to this extreme environment as it has a high tolerance of drought and shallow soil (hardy variety). This variety is found interspersed in the area's plantations in the form of centuries-old olive trees, representing up to 20 % of the area under olives.

5.2. Specificity of the product:

The specific characteristics that define ‘Montoro-Adamuz’ oil are owed to its high content of total polyphenols, exceeding 700 ppm, which are responsible for the characteristic bitterness of the oil (K225, minimum 0,3) and which give it its high level of chemical stability against oxidation (minimum 80 hours at 100 °C).

In addition, the sensory attributes such as ‘frutado de aceituna’ and ‘verde hoja’ are highly present, the median fruitiness exceeding 4.

5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI):

The high phenolic compound content in the oils of the denomination ‘Montoro-Adamuz’, exceeding 700 ppm, is directly related to the presence of the Nevadillo Negro variety, to the extreme agro-climatic conditions which cause physiological stress in the olive tree and to early harvesting.

The blend, in which the Picual and Nevadillo Negro varieties are present in variable proportions, is unique and exclusive to the oils of Montoro-Adamuz, the high level of polyphenols making it distinct from those varieties, giving the oil a bitter and spicy quality, and allowing it to be preserved extremely well, a characteristic for which this oil has been appreciated since time immemorial.

The extreme mediterranean climatic conditions, with the high average temperature and levels of sunlight, moderate and markedly seasonal rain, together with high levels of annual evapo-transpiration, of between 800 and 900 mm, lead to a serious shortage of water for olive growing, which is exacerbated by the soil conditions in the district: acid soil, steep slopes, shallow, stony soil of low fertility, established on acidic materials. This all leads to physiological stress on the olive tree which causes an increase in the polyphenol content.

The steep topography, with the olive groves situated on steep hillsides, is a factor which has led to early harvesting of the olives becoming a deeply rooted cultural practice. The olives are harvested only from the trees , whilst care it taken to avoid letting the fruit fall to the ground, as it is impossible to gather it from the ground due to the high costs which this would entail as a result of the lack of mechanization of the mountain olive plantations. Furthermore, this practice results in a product of higher quality.

In addition, the deeply rooted cultural practice of early harvesting of the fruit in the district, from 15 October to 15 January, results in maximizing the polyphenol content and producing extraordinary organoleptic qualities in the oils, defined by a median fruitiness exceeding 4, in which the sensory attributes such as ‘frutado de aceituna’ and ‘verde hoja’ are present with maximum intensity.

Reference to publication of the specification:

http://juntadeandalucia.es/boja/boletines/2007/202/d/updf/d24.pdf

(1) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.

(2) Method of complete extraction of polyphenols and quantification by means of the colorimetric system of detection using a series of electrodes.