About River Estate Oils
• ONZ Certified Oil - certified Extra Virgin • Cold Pressed • Absolutely Fresh • Bottling Information
• 2009 Product Range • General Information About Olive Oil

River Estate Olive Grove, Whitford, Auckland

Olives in preparation for pressing at River Estate

The River Estate product range - grown, pressed and bottled on site in Whitford!

ONZ Certified Oil - certified Extra Virgin

You will notice that four of our 2009 oils will have a red label displaying that the oil is 'ONZ certified oil'. This is verification that the olive oil is indeed Extra Virgin, in every sense.
To receive this 'red label' the oils are firstly laboratory tested first to ensure they meet the chemical composition required by Olives NZ, detailed below.
They are then tasted by specially convened sensory tasting panel, looking for fruitiness, flavours, complexity, intensity and no defects.
This panel is authorised by the International Olive Oil Council who blind test the panel at frequent intervals, to ensure their accreditation to the International Council.

We submitted four oils, Frantoio, Tuscan Blend, Koroneiki and Picual to the Olives NZ sensory panel where they have been certified as medium intensity oils.

To meet the NZ standard the chemical analysis must be less than 0.5% Oleic acid measured as free fatty acid and less than 15 meg/kg peroxide content. The International standard is less than 0.8% free fatty acid and 20 meg/kg peroxide.

Our olive oils have tested low around the 0.06 to 0.13 with one at 0.43% (which is unusually high for us) free fatty acids and 4.8 to 10.5 peroxide, which is well within the NZ standard, by laboratory testing. The high value this year is due the heavy early frosts we encountered before they were ready to harvest.

Cold Pressed
At River Estate we press each variety separately and store the oils in airtight variable capacity vats to retain the freshness.

River Estate Olive oils are non filtered to retain the richness of the flavours in the oils. This may lead to a slightly cloudy appearance in some oils and a very fine deposit of sediment in some of the bottles. The oils are decentered a number of times from small vats until the sediment is removed. They are then, and only then, placed in the large variable capacity vats.

River Estate oils are processed at approximately 25°c, thus maintaining the maximum extraction of oil and retaining the excellent qualities of the olive oil.

Absolutely Fresh
We endeavour to press the same day as picking which gives us the freshest oil possible.

The oils are left to stand for a period after processing for the sediment to settle, before transferring to the variable capacity vat and bottling.

At River Estate we have our own pressing and bottling facilities onsite which ensures olives are pressed less than 24 hours after being picked. Click here for more information about our pressing & bottling facility.

Bottling Information
River Estate olive oil is bottled in dark glass to help preserve the excellent properties of the oil. Larger quantities are canned to eliminate the light as much as possible.

Olive oils stored in clear bottles start losing qualities when exposed to light, particularly fluorescent, for extended periods.

Heat and air are the other two elements that will cause oil to deteriorate and exposure to both will shorten the life of your oil.

The oil should be stored in a cool cupboard with the cap on to retain the high quality of the oil. Once opened, it is recommended that the oil be used within 3-6 months.

River Estate Oils are available in 250ml and 750ml bottles, 1 and 4 litre cans. For more information on our current varieties for sale click here for product information.

2009 Product Range

>> For information on our 2009 range of oils click here.

General Information about Olive Oil
For more information about olive oil click here to view our Frequently Asked Questions.

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