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More than 200 varieties of olives are grown in Spain. Each one has its own unique flavors and aromas. Discover their characteristic flavors and aromas, and learn now to recognize them and their Extra Virgin Olive Oils.
These are just some of the more than 200 varities that are grown in Spain. We treasure a rich heritage that offers immense culinary possibilities: Arbosana, Alfafara, Argudell, Arróniz, Bical, Callosina, Canetera, Carrasqueño de Alcaudete, Carrasqueño de la Sierra, Castellana, Changlot Real, Gordal de Hellín, Limoncillo, Llumeta, Lucio, Manzanilla de Hellín, Morrut, Ocal, Pajarero, Palomar, Pequeña de Casas Ibáñez, Pico Limón, Picual de Almería, Rojal de Tarragona, Royal de Calatayud, Vallesa, Vera, Verdial de Badajoz, Verdial de Cádiz, Verdial de Huévar, Villalonga…and many more. Discover them!
This variety is characteristic of Catalonia (Tarragona and Lleida) and Alto Aragon, although its growth has spread to practically the entire country. It takes its name from the town of leridana de Arbeca.
It produces a very fluid and sweet oil, in which it is almost impossible to perceive bitter or peppery flavors. Its olive oil has a fruity aroma of olives, apple, banana and almond.
This type of olive is the second Spanish variety in terms of cultivated area. It is mainly found in the provinces of Toledo, Ciudad Real and Madrid, but it can also be found in the provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz. Its name refers to the curved shape of the fruit, which is reminiscent of a goat horn.
Its extra-virgin olive oils are highly aromatic, with notes of fruity olive and other fruits including apple. Herbal olive leaf notes can be appreciated on the palate, with a slightly bitter taste.
It is one of the great Andalusian varieties, with significant presence in the provinces of Córdoba, Granada, Málaga and Jaén. Although its name is similar, it is a clearly differentiated from the picual variety. It takes its name from its curved pointed tip.
This variety makes highly aromatic oils. It is characterized by its green fruity flavor with green apple and olive leaf notes.
It is a native variety of the province of Jaén, although it growth is limited to the province’s northern mountain range. It offers oils that contrast with the predominant variety produced in the province, the picual. It is a sweet, but very fruity oil, in which fig notes predominate.
This is one of the most widespread varieties in Andalusia, with a strong presence in the province of Seville, although it is also grown in Córdoba, Cádiz and Málaga. The extra-virgin olive oils of this variety are characterized by a balance between green, peppery and bitter notes. They are very fruity oils.
A Levantine variety, its cultivation is particularly important in the province of Alicante, but it can also be found in Valencia, Murcia and Albacete. Its name comes from the milky tone of its olive. These oils are distinguished by their intense fruitiness, and a strong peppery and bitter taste.
Apart from Granada, this variety is also grown in Almeria, Albacete and Murcia. Extra-virgin oils with a sweet characteristic taste are obtained from it.
The growth of this variety is mainly concentrated in the south of the province of Badajoz and the north of the province of Seville. It produces very fruity sweet oils.
An olive variety that gets its name from the city of Alfafara in Alicante. In Spanish Levante, it is also known as “alfafarenca”. In addition to its province of origin, it is grown in Valencia and Albacete. This variety produces virgin olive oils with a perfect balance of bitterness and spiciness. On the nose, it is notable for its banana and ripe-tomato notes.
This variety is typically found in the Extremadura region (in Badajoz and Cáceres) and is one of the many verdial varieties found in Spanish olive groves and differentiated by the reference to the area where it is grown. The Badajoz variety is a verdial that offers medium-high fruity virgin olive oils. It’s notable for its tones of almond and ripe fruit. It’s slightly bitter, with a more prominent hint of spiciness. The result is an oil that’s slightly sweet.
This is one of the main table-olive varieties in Spain. It is mainly grown in the province of Seville although it can also be found in Huelva and Badajoz. It is also used to produce oils known for their medium fruitiness and hint of spiciness and bitterness. It is notable for its aromas of grass, almonds and figs.
This variety is closely linked to the province of Huelva, although it is also grown in production zones in the neighbouring regions of Seville and Cádiz. In fact, it is one of the varieties admitted covered by the Sierra de Cádiz Designation of Origin. The virgin olive oils it produces are fruity with an intense spiciness and bitterness. It is also notable for its green tones with a clear flavour of green almond and figs.
Without a doubt, this is one of the most famous olive varieties in the world. Gordal Sevillana is mainly used to produce table olives notable for their large size, which is what differentiates them from all other varieties. It is mainly grown in Seville, although it has been successfully grown in other areas of Spain. It is not generally used to produce olive oil due to its very low fat yield.
Its growth extends mainly in the provinces of Málaga, Córdoba, Granada and Seville. Its name refers to the white color of the leaves. This variety has the particularity of being used to obtain both oil and as table olives.
It is characterized by its taste and aroma of freshly cut grass, artichoke and aromatic plants. Its entrance on the palate is sweet, with a slight bitterness and a peppery finish in the mouth.
It is the most abundant variety in Spain and the world. There are currently approximately 900,000 hectares of production area in our country, mainly in Jaén, Córdoba and Granada, although its growth has spread to other production areas such as Castilla-La Mancha. Its name refers to the fruit’s pointed tip shape.
Its oil is prized for its high stability (resistance to oxidation) which gives it great resistance to high temperatures, and it is ideal for preserving raw or cooked foods.
With regard to sensory characteristics, these oils have great personalities, full bodies, fruity green olive scores, and a light peppery and bitter olive leaf taste can be appreciated in them.
It is one of the varieties that has expanded most in our country. Although it is typical of Aragón, it is also grown in the Balearic Islands, Castellón, Tarragona and Navarre. Its name derives from the Catalan word “empelt”, meaning to graft.
It produces oils that are sweet, slightly peppery and bitter, and with an intense fruitiness, in which a green apple and almond taste can be clearly appreciated.
A variety that concentrates its growth in the provinces of Tarragona and Castellón. It is an olive that results in very fruity and sweet virgin olive oils, with a slight bitterness and an appreciable peppery taste. Green apple and banana notes prevail in its taste.
A typical variety of the province of Málaga. Its oil has a light green color, with an aroma in which green fruit and grass predominates.
This variety is mainly grown in Castellón, Tarragona and, to a lesser extent, in Lérida. Its extra-virgin oils are characterized by their intense flavor, with notes reminiscent of almond and walnut.
A typical variety of Extremadura (grown in both Badajoz and Cáceres), it has also extended its growth to Salamanca, Ávila and Madrid. Its oil has a balance between peppery, bitter and sweet, and it has an intense green fruitiness reminiscent of freshly cut grass, in addition to fruity green apple, fruit salad and tomato.
As its name suggests, it is a native variety of the province of Malaga which offers soft extra-virgin oils, somewhat peppery and with an intensely fruity flavor. It noted for its taste of ripe fruit.
An olive variety that is very much connected to the region of Baix Ebre-Montsía on the border of the provinces of Castellón and Tarragona, where it is also known as “morruda”. It’s one of the most well-known varieties under the Oil of Baix Ebre-Montsía Designation of Origin, along with Sevillenca and Farga. It offers very fruity virgin olive oils with a notable spiciness and a slight bitterness. This variety features almond and green apple flavours.
A variety that is typical of the Levante, its production is concentrated in the Autonomous Community of Valencia. It is the origin of very fruity, intensely spicy and slightly bitter virgin olive oils. It is notable for its green notes and hints of apple, wood and almond. This variety is one of the most well-known for producing extra virgin olive oils under the Community of Valencia Designation of Origin.
A variety that is originally from Castilla-La Mancha, which is where it seems to have taken its name from. It is mostly grown in the provinces of Guadalajara, Cuenca and Madrid. It is the only variety accepted in the production of extra virgin olive oils under the Alcarria Designation of Origin label. The oils from this variety are fruity and very aromatic, with a characteristic spiciness. They are also notable for their notes of green grass and leaves and of banana.
This is an important variety in the Autonomous Community of Valencia, since it can be found both in the province of Valencia and in Alicante. In Spanish Levante, it is also known as “manzanilla”. It produces intensely fruity extra virgin olive oils with a hint of spiciness and bitterness. It is also notable for its notes of recently cut grass, almond and apple.