Olive Oils

Olives, like wine, have been a part of history and their mystical and revered qualities meant they were a natural addition to the grape vines planted here. The 1500 olive trees border the property, surrounding the vines with their beautiful silvery green foliage and gentle presence.

The olive trees were planted in 1997/1998, just a few months after we bought the property. Back then there were very few olive trees grown commercially on the Mornington Peninsula. As a result, we planted a wide variety of olive trees – 13 in fact – as we were experimenting with which varieties would take off in our particular site. Over time we have planted more trees and added more varieties.

Olive harvest at Montalto usually starts in mid May, a few weeks after the end of grape harvest, and continues into June, when the last of the table fruit is harvested for curing.

The olives selected for oil are cold pressed within 24 hours of harvest, and are First Cold Pressed, the highest grade of olive oil. Olives are washed before being put through a hammer mill crusher to create a thick paste. The paste is then rotated and mixed at room temperature to break open cell walls and start to release the oil, before finally being passed through a centrifuge which spins very quickly and separates the paste into oil, water and solids. The oil is given a chance to settle and is then bottled, ready for release at our Abundance Olive Festival in July.

Olives selected for table fruit make their way up to our winery, where they are cured using a traditional brine technique, which draws the bitterness out of the fruit.