Publication of an application for registration of a name pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2021/C 112/03)

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) within three months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Olio di Roma’

EU No: PGI-IT-2453 – 5.4.2019

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1. Name(s)

‘Olio di Roma’

2. Member State or Third Country

Italy

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.5. — Oils and fats

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

Upon certification, ‘Olio di Roma’ Protected Geographical Indication extra virgin olive oil must comply with the parameters listed below:

Colour: from green to golden yellow, depending on the age of the oil.

Organoleptic characteristics

Descriptor Median Fruitiness 2-6 Bitterness 2-5 Pungency 2-5 Tomato and/or artichoke and/or herbaceous and/or almond notes 1-4,5

Chemico-physical characteristics

— Acidity (expressed as oleic acid): ≤ 0,4 %

— Peroxide value ≤ 12 mEq O2/kg

— Oleic acid ≥ 70 %

— Tocopherols ≥ 150 mg/kg

— Total biophenols ≥ 220 mg/kg

— K232 ≤ 2,20

— K270 ≤ 0,200

All parameters not specifically mentioned must comply with the EU legislation which applies to extra-virgin olive oil.

3.3. Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

The varieties that may be used, alone or in combination, to produce ‘Olio di Roma’ PGI are Itrana, Carboncella, Moraiolo, Caninese, Salviana, Rosciola, Marina, Sirole, Maurino Pendolino, Frantoio and Leccino, at a minimum of 80 %. Other varieties are allowed up to a maximum of 20 %, as long as they have been entered in the national register for fruit crop species allowed for sale established by Legislative Decree No 124 of 25 June 2010.

3.4. Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area

All the stages in the production process, namely cultivation, harvesting and oil extraction, must take place within the identified geographical area.

3.5. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

After extraction, the oil must be kept in containers made of stainless steel or another material suitable for storing oil. These containers must be perfectly clean with no traces of detergent. They must be stored in a location enabling optimal storage of extra-virgin olive oil so as to avoid any unwanted changes in the chemical and organoleptic characteristics of the product.

Prior to packaging the oil may be naturally decanted, filtered or subjected to any other natural process to remove processing residues (i.e. oil foots or vegetable water). As regards storage in containers, it is possible to use inert gases.

‘Olio di Roma’ PGI oil must be marketed in containers permitted by the legislation in force and with a capacity not exceeding 5 litres. The containers must be sealed and labelled.

3.6. Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

The label must feature the wording ‘olio extravergine di oliva “Olio di Roma” IGP’ [‘“Olio di Roma” PGI extra virgin olive oil’] in distinct, indelible lettering in such a way that it can be distinguished from all the other information given on the label.

It is permitted to use names, holding names, company names, association names and private trademarks, provided that they have no laudatory purport and are not such as to mislead the customer. It is permitted to use the word ‘monovarietale’ [‘single-variety’] followed by whichever cultivar listed in point 3.3 is used. The year of production of the olives from which the oil was made must be indicated on the label.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The production area for ‘Olio di Roma’ PGI consists of the following municipalities:

Province of Viterbo in its entirety;

Province of Rieti: Collevecchio, Stimigliano, Forano, Selci, Cantalupo in Sabina, Poggio Catino, Fara in Sabina, Castelnuovo di Farfa, Toffia, Salisano, Poggio Nativo, Frasso Sabino, Scandriglia, Orvinio, Mompeo, Casaprota, Poggio San Lorenzo, Monteleone Sabino, Poggio Moiano, Colle di Tora, Montenero Sabino, Montebuono, Tarano, Torri in Sabina, Vacone, Configni, Cottanello, Montasola, Casperia, Roccantica, Torricella in Sabina, Montopoli di Sabina, Magliano Sabina, Poggio Mirteto, Rocca Sinibalda Longone Sabino, Monte San Giovanni in Sabina, Varco Sabino, Belmonte in Sabina, Rieti, Cantalice, Borgo Velino, Antrodoco, Castel Sant’Angelo, Cittaducale, Contigliano, Ascrea, Colli sul Vellino, Vacone, Morro Reatino, Paganico Sabino, Pescorocchiano, Poggio Bustone, Pozzaglia Sabina and Rivodutri;

Province of Rome in its entirety except for the municipalities of Anzio, Arcinazzo Romano, Allumiere, Camerata Nuova, Colleferro, Jenne, Tolfa, Riofreddo, Santa Marinella, Valmontone, Vallepietra, Vallinfreda and Vivaro Romano;

Province of Frosinone in its entirety except for the municipalities of Acquafondata, Filettino, Trevi nel Lazio and Viticuso;

Province of Latina in its entirety except for the municipalities of Latina, Pontinia, Sabaudia and San Felice Circeo.

5. Link with the geographical area

The request for recognition is based on the quality characteristics of ‘Olio di Roma’.

The geographical area referred to in point 4 is located in the centre of the Italian peninsula mid-way along the Tyrrhenian coast. It stretches from the Apennines to the Tyrrhenian Sea and the landscape mostly consists of hills (54 % of the total surface area of the region) which are typical of the olive-growing habitat.

This is characteristic of the landscape in the entire area, which features centuries-old olive trees and a wide range of olive ecotypes typical of the geographical area.

Olives are grown throughout the territory of the demarcated geographical area with some 63 000 hectares planted at altitudes ranging from sea level to about 800 m, accounting for almost 50 % of the total surface area devoted to tree crops.

The climate in the identified area is Mediterranean, with mild wet winters and autumns and hot dry summers. Average temperatures range from 3 oC in January to 30 oC in July.

Rainfall ranges from 600-700 mm per annum on the coast to 1 000 m per annum on the hillsides and the Anti-Apennines. Autumn and spring are the rainiest seasons, with rainfall being at its lowest in summer.

The Tyrrhenian winds which influence the landscape of hills and plains have a decisive impact on the environmental and climatic conditions in the area where ‘Olio di Roma’ is produced.

The PGI area has the conditions for olive-growing for the following reasons:

— soils of medium-density rich in organic matter and with neutral or sub-alkaline pH;

— minimum temperatures not lower than 5 degrees below zero from December to February;

— maximum temperatures not higher than 34 oC in July-August;

— average annual rainfall higher than 600 mm;

— rainfall rarely higher than 30 mm in summer, with drought in July-August;

— autumn rainfall rarely lower than 120 mm in September-October.

The distinctive characteristics of ‘Olio di Roma’ are attributable to these very specific geographical, orographic, soil and climatic conditions which have proved to be exceptionally well-suited to olive-growing.

These specific climatic variations observed during the oil accumulation and ripening phases in the geographical area where the olives are typically grown are the key environmental factor for bringing about the product’s quality parameters, such as its phenol and volatile compound content. In fact:

— the water and heat stresses (August-September) that occur during the olives’ oil accumulation phase trigger the synthesis of polyphenols that build up within the olives. Polyphenols form as a result of intense stress, such as water and/or heat stress, and are used by the tree itself to counteract the production of free radicals;

— autumnal rainfall (October-November), meanwhile, promotes the synthesis of volatile compounds.

This particular succession of water stress due to heat/drought during the oil accumulation phase followed by autumn rains and cooler, wetter conditions as the olives ripen, leads first of all to a build-up of polyphenols (bitterness and pungency) followed by a build-up of volatile compounds (tomato and/or artichoke and/or herbaceous and/or almond notes).

The total polyphenol/biophenol values (≥ 220 mg/kg) give ‘Olio di Roma’ its bitterness and spiciness (in both cases, scores of between 2 and 5) and give the product its unique identity.

The volatile compounds, on the other hand, provide a range of plant notes that give ‘Olio di Roma’ PGI its identity, i.e. tomato and/or artichoke and/or herbaceous and/or almond notes (1-4,5).

The olive varieties grown in the area, as mentioned in point 3.3, are representative of age-old cultivars that are essentially native varieties and grown throughout the entire territory or confined to more restricted and specialised areas. This also contributes towards the production of an oil with specific chemical and sensory properties: fruity, bitter and pungent, which are the typical characteristic link with the geographical area of reference.

The bitter and pungent taste is a useful marker for assessing the oil’s ‘freshness’: such molecules tend to oxidise over time, losing their characteristic taste and the health properties they confer on the product. It is now a mandatory requirement to report the year the olives are harvested on the label, so as to highlight this concept of the product’s ‘freshness’.

The characteristic human factors that influence the specific product include growing techniques such as choosing the harvest time and managing irrigation. The harvest season in the production area normally lasts from the end of September to 31 December each year. Irrigation is not widely used and, where practised, is done on a deficit basis so as to preserve the plant notes that are the hallmark of this oil.

Another human factor that influences the characteristics of ‘Olio di Roma’ is the extraction technique which does not allow the use of press extraction systems, so as to safeguard and preserve the specific characteristics of the product.

It is important to note that the interplay of these cultivation and climatic characteristics, combined with the genotypes of the olives grown, produces a unique phenotype.

The techniques used to press the olives also contribute to making ‘Olio di Roma’ unique. The more than 450 olive presses in the defined geographical area are technologically well-equipped and manned by staff with access to suitable ongoing technical training, in order to ensure oil of the best quality and the greatest possible expression of its unique traits as described in point 3.2.

The environmental and climatic conditions of the area are what give the product its characteristics, such as its golden-yellow colour tinged with green of variable intensity; its broad, elegant bouquet with notes of artichoke, freshly cut grass, chicory and tomato of variable intensity and hints of mint, basil and rosemary. It is complex and delicate in the mouth, with well-balanced notes of artichoke, thistle and tomato of variable intensity and a sweet almond finish. Well-defined bitterness and pungency.

There is clear evidence in the production area that the plant was used for food from the 7th/6th centuries BC onwards.

The Romans perfected the techniques used to produce and press the oil and spread their olive-growing expertise throughout the territories which they conquered. A visit to the Testaccio neighbourhood should suffice to understand the importance of the oil trade in Rome. Site of the ancient Emporium river port, the amphorae unloaded here were smashed and discarded in such quantities after emptying that they formed an artificial mound known as the ‘monte dei cocci’ [mound of shards].

In 1813 the area covered by olive plantations in Lazio reached some 27 000 hectares and oil production amounted to 3 million kg. By 1938, the area devoted to specialised olive-growing in Lazio exceeded 80 000 hectares. This figure rose to 84 000 in 1952-56 and to 87 770 hectares in 1966-70.

The product’s reputation in Italy and worldwide has grown thanks to the numerous national and international acknowledgements received, its constant presence and prize-winning performance in various oil competitions, and the sale of oil from the territory referred to in point 4 as a souvenir to tourists visiting the capital.

Reference to publication of the specification

(the second subparagraph of Article 6(1) of this Regulation)

The full text of the product specification is available on the following website: http://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/3335

or alternatively:

by going directly to the home page of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy (www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Qualità’ (at the top right of the screen), then on ‘Prodotti DOP IGP STG’ (on the left-hand side of the screen) and finally on ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all’esame dell’UE’.

(1) OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.