Aglandau
The backbone of Provençal AOP oil, accounting for around a fifth of French production, and one of the few French cultivars documented as self-sterile — so an orchard has to be planted with pollinators. Its oils are aggressive when young and soften with time.
In the grove
Aglandau — the name comes from gland, acorn, for the fruit shape — is grown across Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, Gard, Var and Vaucluse. It is the principal variety of AOP Haute-Provence and a principal variety of AOP Aix-en-Provence, AOP Provence and AOP Vallée des Baux-de-Provence. It also has a table life, sold green as Berruguette.
The tree is medium to weak in vigour with a spreading, dense canopy, self-sterile and so dependent on pollinators, and inclined to alternate bearing unless pruned for it. It resists Verticillium and Pseudomonas well but is susceptible to black scale, sooty mould and peacock spot. On cold and drought tolerance the French sources directly contradict each other, and no institutional data settled it, so we are not asserting either.
Compared with the other reference cultivars
| Cultivar | Origin | Typical polyphenols | Sensory profile | Best pairing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aglandau | Provence, France | Not published | Fruity and unctuous, marked bitterness and pungency when young | Aïoli, tapenade, ratatouille, goat cheese |
| Picual | Jaén, Spain | 300–700 mg/kg | Intensely green, clean bitterness, late-building pungency | Tomato salad, grilled vegetables, bread and salt |
| Coratina | Puglia, Italy | 330–410 mg/kg | Powerfully green and herbaceous, strong bitterness and pungency | Bean soups, grilled meat, bitter greens |
| Koroneiki | Messinia, Greece | Around the Greek mean; Cretan surveys 138–441 mg/kg | Green and aromatic, balanced bitterness and pungency | Greek salad, feta, grilled fish, horta |
| Arbequina | Lleida, Spain | 200–230 mg/kg | Soft, sweet entry, barely bitter, light pungency | Fish, salads, baking, mayonnaise |
| Picholine | Gard, France | Not published | Very green and fruity, light bitterness and pungency | The olive itself — apéritif; the oil suits salads |
Polyphenol figures are the ranges published for each variety, not measurements of any bottle in the library. A single oil's figure depends on when it was picked and how it was milled, and is shown on that oil's own page where the producer states one.