Cru di Puglia IGP – Biologico

Organic and unmistakably Puglian

Cru di Puglia PGI Organic is Ciccolella’s organic tribute to its home region. The oil is made exclusively from traditional Puglian olive varieties and carries the protected PGI Puglia designation.

That makes this bottle particularly interesting for anyone who values not only organic production but also origin. This is not an anonymous Italian blend: Puglia is clearly present on the label and in the glass.

The result is a medium-fruity extra virgin olive oil with enough power to have character and enough balance to be exceptionally versatile.

Cru di Puglia sits comfortably in the middle in terms of intensity. Fruitiness clearly leads, followed by balanced bitterness and slightly more pronounced pepperiness.

That keeps the oil lively and characterful without becoming as outspoken as, for example, a powerful pure Coratina.

It is approachable for many olive oil lovers, but certainly not boring. This is an oil with plenty to say without constantly needing to be the loudest voice in the room.

Cru di Puglia is organically produced. For anyone who consciously looks for organic certification when choosing olive oil, this is a particularly interesting bottle within the Ciccolella range.

But organic is not the whole story here. Quality ultimately has to stand up in the glass – and that is where this oil convinces with fruitiness, freshness, complexity and a beautiful balance between bitterness and pepperiness.

Organic certification is an important plus. That the oil also happens to taste very good matters just as much to us.

The PGI Puglia designation clearly connects this olive oil to its geographical origin. Not simply Italy, but specifically Puglia is at the heart of the story.

For this Cru, Ciccolella uses a blend of olive varieties typical of the region. Rather than focusing on one cultivar, the oil is intended to express the character of Puglia as a whole.

A small piece of Puglia in a bottle may sound romantic. In this case it mainly tastes very good.

One of those bottles you find yourself reaching for surprisingly often

Thanks to its balanced character, Cru di Puglia works beautifully with salads, bread, pasta, vegetables, fish and meat. It also holds its own very well with grilled dishes.

The fruitiness adds depth to fresh dishes, while the bitterness and pepperiness provide enough character for more robust ingredients.

That makes this organic Cru exactly the kind of oil you buy for one dish and then discover yourself using with more and more meals.

Faresse, Zurlo and Coppadoro mainly show how much olive variety and intensity can change flavour. Cru di Puglia adds another perspective: organic production and a clear regional PGI identity.

That gives this bottle a genuine place of its own within Ciccolella. Not simply milder or more powerful than the other three, but an olive oil built around a different idea.

There is no need to search long for the origin of this oil. Italian olives, traditional Puglian cultivars, produced by Ciccolella in Puglia and carrying the regional PGI designation.

For anyone who likes to know exactly where a good olive oil comes from, this bottle gives an unusually clear answer.

Cru di Puglia falls into the high polyphenol category in our Olijfoliewijzer. That fits well with its fresh and clearly bitter-peppery character.

If you would like to understand what polyphenols are, why they occur in olive oil and how they relate to flavour, you can read much more in our Olijfolie Academie.

Discover more about organic and Italian extra virgin olive oil or read more about polyphenols in our Olijfolie Academie.