Every autumn, as the olive harvest gets under way, something happens in the olive-growing parts of Italy. Mills run day and night, restaurants put new menus together, and families gather round the table to taste the first oil of the year. It's called olio nuovo, "new oil", and it's one of the great seasonal foods.
What is olio nuovo?
Olio nuovo is simply olive oil from the current harvest, bottled and enjoyed in the weeks and months after pressing, usually from October to January. You'll also see it called olio novello, new-harvest or early-harvest oil.
It isn't a different product. It's the same extra virgin oil, just at the very start of its life, when its aromas and flavours are at their most intense.
What it tastes like
New oil is olive oil turned up to full volume:
- Colour: vivid, almost electric green.
- Aroma: fresh grass, green leaves, artichoke, sometimes tomato.
- Taste: bitter and strongly peppery, with a catch in the throat that can make you cough.
That intensity comes from the natural polyphenols in fresh oil, which soften over the following months. (More in why good olive oil is bitter and peppery.)
Cloudy or clear?
Some olio nuovo is sold unfiltered, so it looks slightly cloudy, with tiny particles of olive and water suspended in it. Unfiltered oil can taste even fresher and rounder, but it keeps for less time, so it's meant to be enjoyed within a few months. Filtered oil is bright and clear and holds its freshness for longer.
How Italians eat it
New oil is for eating raw, where you'll taste every bit of it.
- Bruschetta (or fettunta in Tuscany): thick slices of rustic bread, toasted over a fire or under the grill, rubbed with a cut clove of garlic, sprinkled with salt and soaked in new oil. Nothing else. It's the classic way to taste the harvest.
- Bean and legume soups: ribollita, pasta e fagioli, lentils or chickpeas, finished with a thick swirl of oil at the table.
- Grilled meat: a steak or lamb chops, with salt, rosemary and a generous pour.
- Vegetables: roast squash, boiled cavolo nero, potatoes, or raw fennel and blood oranges.
- Simple pasta: spaghetti with garlic, chilli and new oil.
Our favourite: a bowl of warm borlotti beans, salt, black pepper and far more new oil than seems reasonable.
How long is it "new"?
There's no official cut-off. Olio nuovo is at its most dramatic in the first two or three months. After that, it gradually becomes a fresh, rounded oil that's still excellent, just a little calmer. Stored well, a good extra virgin oil stays at its best for around 18 months from harvest. See how to store olive oil.
Our olio nuovo for 2026
We first milled our 2026 oil on 5 October 2026, from organic Moraiolo olives on our estate in Umbria. It's bright green, grassy and properly peppery, and it's ready to ship now.