Taggiasca
also called Gentile, GiuggiolinaThe rare cultivar whose protected designation requires its oil to be gentle. The Riviera dei Fiori DOP caps bitterness at "barely perceptible" and fruitiness at light-to-medium — the inverse of how almost every other quality specification is written.
| Also called | Gentile, Giuggiolina |
|---|---|
| Main regions | Imperia and Savona, Liguria |
| Purpose | Dual-purpose — oil, brined olives, paste |
| Oil yield | ~24–27% of fruit weight |
| Harvest | Late and staggered, extending into January |
| DOP sensory limits | Light to medium fruity; bitterness barely perceptible |
| Watch out for | Sensitive to cold and drought; hard to mechanise |
In the grove
Aroma and flavour descriptors
- 1Pine nut
- 2Sweet almond
- 3Raw artichoke
- 4Light fruit
The Riviera dei Fiori DOP specification is itself a published sensory definition: fruity of light or medium intensity, decidedly sweet, with at most a light pungency and barely perceptible bitterness.
Ordered by how often each recurs in the published varietal literature, not by measured intensity. Our panel has not scored a monovarietal Taggiasca oil, and no sensory panel data for it is published. 40 of the 40 varieties here read the same way.
Taggiasca oils in the library
From 2 producersTaggiasca against the other Italy varieties
| Variety | Origin region | Used for | Polyphenols | Shelf stability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coratina | Corato, Bari, Puglia | Oil | 330–410 mg/kg | 29.5 h Rancimat at 110 °C — highest of eleven cultivars tested |
| Frantoio | Tuscany | Oil | ~230 mg/kg | Not published |
| Leccino | Tuscany | Oil | ~150 mg/kg | Low — 17.5 h Rancimat at 110 °C |
| Moraiolo | Tuscany and Umbria | Oil | ~270 mg/kg | Not published |
| Taggiasca | Taggia, Imperia, Liguria | Dual-purpose | Low (no measured range published) | Not published |
| Casaliva | Lake Garda — Trentino, Brescia, Verona | Oil | 110–200 mg/kg | Not published |
| Nocellara del Belice | Valle del Belìce, Sicily | Dual-purpose | ~330 mg/kg mean | Not published |
| Tonda Iblea | Monti Iblei, Ragusa and Siracusa, Sicily | Dual-purpose | ~285 mg/kg mean | Not published |
| Itrana | Itri, Latina, Lazio | Dual-purpose | ~381 mg/kg mean | Not published |
| Peranzana | Alto Tavoliere, Foggia, Puglia | Dual-purpose | ~396 mg/kg mean | Not published |
| Bosana | Sardinia | Oil | ~415 mg/kg mean | Not published |
Sources
- Consorzio di Tutela Olio DOP Riviera Ligure — cultivars
- Riviera Ligure DOP specification parameters
- Regione Liguria — Agriligurianet, Olivo
Every figure on this page carries a source. Where we could not find one we say so rather than estimating. Corrections are welcome and credited.