Judy Ridgway recalls a recent visit to the home of Portico de la Villa

“Even if it didn’t produce one of the best extra virgin olive oils in the region the Almazara Fuente la Madera would be well worth a visit. This olive mill is set in the most beautiful location at the foot of the highest mountain in the Sierra de la Subbetica national park in Andalucia. The views are to die for and in every direction! The impression is of remoteness and serenity but in fact it is only seven kilometres to the small hill town of Priego de Cordoba, another beauty spot into its own right.

The oil which is produced in this wonderful setting is the extra virgin Portico de la Villa. It is pressed from local Picudo and Hojiblanca olives in proportion of 50/50.

Unlike most of the other olive oil producers in the region, these groves and the Fuente la Madera mill are privately owned. Manuel Montes Marin has been the owner for fifteen years. In that time he has continued to develop the business and has recently added a large new building to house the mill and the storage area. It is a real cathedral of oil complete with piped music by Bach and light fittings in the form of olive branches with the lights as olives.

The mill has capacity for 1.6 million kilos of oil and I was told that the olive trees are too many to count. Attention to detail is important here and a good deal of research goes into deciding when to harvest the fruit. The olives for the Portico de la Villa oil are picked early in the season while they are still relatively green. This contributes to the complex flavours of the oil and the warm peppery glow on the palate.

Manuel Montes Marin is very keen on promotions and visits. While I was there a ‘mill breakfast’ was in progress with toasted bread, garlic, tomatoes and lashings of olive oil. The guests were not foreign buyers, though they might have been, but were local housewives and cooks who were being encouraged to use and support the local oil. They all looked very pleased with the oil and I am sure you will be too.”

Portico de La Villa is offered for sale here on idelica.com in the limited edition Gourmet bottle which comes in an elegantly branded box, and is a very handsome gift set for olive oil lovers. And… it’s now on special offer with 15% off.

Give the ultimate gift experience for olive oil lovers this Christmas: To join Judy Ridgway on a course tasting extra virgin olive oils from around the world in January 2011

Judy’s one day olive oil appreciation courses offer the chance to taste a range of extra virgin olive oils which are not often gathered together in one place. The January 2012 course, for example, includes new season oils from the Mediterranean alongside slightly older oils from Australia, Chile and New Zealand.

Judy was commissioned by the EU to write the paper Taste and Flavour in Olive Oil which includes a vocabulary for describing the positive rather than the negative attributes of olive oil and this paper forms the basis of the course. Whether you are an experienced taster or have never tasted olive oils before you will learn how to find your way through the label hype, how to describe oils in a way which is useful to others and how to assess oils at competition level.

As well looking at quality standards, the course also includes guidance on faulty oils and how to recognise them. The many misconceptions which are still rife around the subject of olive oil are corrected and the importance of varieties, harvest times and processing methods are highlighted. There is provision for specific topics to be included on request.

The courses are kept to a maximum of seven participants so that everyone can join in. The courses start at 10.00am and finish around 4.30-5.00pm. They are usually held in London but occasionally in Brighton depending on course members’ preference. A light lunch and 14/15 oils from around the world are included in the fee.

Possible dates for the next course: 5^th/6^th January or 9^th/10^th/11^th January