 80 km to the southwest of the region of Les Garrigues, where the Arbequina olive tree was 'rediscovered' towards the end of the last century, Spain's largest river, the Ebro, flows through a deep valley with steep mountains. It is a rugged area with few inhabitants. The Cinca River flows into the Ebro from the Pyrenees, forming a beautiful reservoir where they meet. West of the Cinca lies the former kingdom of Aragón, with its capital city, Zaragoza.
Arbequina olive trees were planted centuries ago on manmade terraces on both sides of the valley, and these are now being cultivated and harvested once again (see '100% Arbequina'). Every now and then you will now also find 'Empeltre' olive trees growing among them, from time immemorial the most common sort in Aragón. Starlings, which are very fond of olives, have deposited pits everywhere, which then grow into trees. In that sense, a natural 'coupage' of Arbequina and Empeltre has developed in the entire area, and we are pleased to offer you our oil from those olives.
  The combination of these two types of olives is truly surprising, with a perfect harmony between the fruity and aromatic pink Arbequina and the sweet, almondy black Empeltre olive with its lightly peppery accent. This coupling is reflected in the dancing pair on the label.
Can Solivera Arbequina & Empeltre extra virgin olive oil is pressed mainly---but not exclusively---in the traditional way, in one of the few mediaeval mills still left in Spain. Nonetheless, we have made a few mini-concessions to the modern age. The hinnies that once turned the three conical mill wheels of carved stone have now been replaced by an electric motor, for example, and the round straw mats are now made of synthetic fibres. The oil is decanted from the watery olive juice (alpechín) in large brick basins. This traditional method of pressing leaves a considerable amount of residual pulp in the oil, which will gradually sink to the base of the bottle.
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