I tasted Omero (Homer) Moretti’s bright green, organic olive oil on toasted bruschetta (pronounced bruce-ket-a in Italian) and had to know more. “First, taste the oil,” his daughter, Giusy, and, wife, Daniela, suggested, “then, Omero will tell you more about the wine.”
They were right. The rich oil with a hint of spiciness was an excellent counter to Omero’s Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG and Sagrantino di Montefalco DOC. These wines are BIG with lots of tannins and need the oil or meat or cheese to bring out the rich dark fruit, the earthiness, the spiciness and even hint of smokiness in these wines.
By blind luck, I was at the Moretti’s during the few days that they harvest and press the oil. When Omero found out that I was interested in the oil, he took me first to see one of his groves where pickers were batting the olives down onto nets.
Then, to the press where containers of his olives were arriving…
…and going into the press.
Then, he had a bottle for me of the freshly pressed oil poured for me.
The grand finale was Omero taking me to his grove of ONE THOUSAND year-old olive trees. The olives from these make his “Millenaria” oil, which is even more delicious than the regular oil (which won Best Olive Oil in Umbria in 2012).
The Moretti’s have rooms for guests who want to stay at the vineyard and also offer picnics (by reservation) and tastings. They are very welcoming to guests. http://www.morettiomero.it/en/
