Olio Nuovo 2026

There is a certain magic in Tuscany this time of year. The air smells like crushed olives. The countryside hums with the harvest. And for this brief period of time, Italy celebrates one of its truest and most delicious treasures: Olio Nuovo.

Fresh from the mill, this is the first olive oil of the season. Vivid green, intensely aromatic, and alive with flavor. It's bold, grassy, peppery, and full of life. This is the oil people wait for all year, and once you've tasted it fresh, you'll understand why.

I've spent another year traveling through the countryside, visiting the farms, sharing meals, and getting to know the people behind the food and wine I love. And every autumn, I find myself coming back to the same thing. Fresh pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

A little taste of the season

Olio Nuovo is the olive oil of the moment. It's fresh, vibrant, and typically unfiltered, with a character that changes as the oil settles and matures over the weeks and months following harvest.

Think of it as the Beaujolais Nouveau of Tuscany, but with olives instead of Gamay grapes.

That first bottle is something special. The aromas are vivid, the flavors are intense, and the peppery finish can catch you right at the back of the throat. It's a little wild, and absolutely delicious.

It's also fleeting. Fresh oils evolve with time, and the particularly vivid character of the new harvest won't last forever. This is the moment to open a bottle, tear into a loaf of good bread, pour a little oil into a dish, and enjoy it for what it is.

From the trees to the table

There's a lot of romance surrounding olive oil, but the reality is that producing it takes a hell of a lot of work.

The trees need tending. The olives need harvesting. Everything has to happen at the right time, and the fruit needs to reach the mill quickly so the oil can be extracted while the olives are in good condition.

Behind every bottle are long days, tired hands, family traditions, and people who have spent years learning how to work with the land. It's easy to walk into a shop, grab a bottle, and never think twice about where it came from. But there is nothing like having it directly from the source.

Podere Bucine

Montefioralle, Chianti Classico

The story at Podere Bucine goes back to 1924, when the family began working the land as farmers before eventually becoming owners. The vineyard has retained much of its original character, and the olive grove is older still, with Moraiolo trees forming the backbone of the planting.

Their oil is made from a traditional blend of Tuscan varieties, with Moraiolo accounting for around 85% of the grove. In the glass, or rather, on the plate, expect green herbal aromas, freshness, and a lovely peppery finish. It's the kind of oil that deserves to be poured generously over a piece of toasted bread.

750ml: €19 per bottle | 3-liter tin: €48 | 5-liter tin: €90 (Tins = later harvested oil)

Shipping: €75 for a minimum of 6 bottles, €115 for 12 bottles

Iviti

Cortona, Tuscany

Iviti is a small family operation where olive oil production is a labor of love in every sense.

Their olive grove covers just 0.7 hectares, planted almost entirely with traditional Tuscan varieties: Frantoio, Leccino, and Moraiolo. The olives are harvested by hand, with the family doing the work themselves. The oil strikes a harmonious balance between robust flavor, peppery spice, and fresh, herbal notes.

To give you an idea of just how much goes into a bottle, around 500 kilograms of olives can yield roughly 65 kilograms of oil. That's approximately 93 bottles. Every drop represents hours of work, care, and a very small harvest. They produced around 450 bottles this year. Taste it while it lasts!

750 ml | €20 per bottle

€75 for a minimum of six bottles, or €115 for 12 bottles.

Agriturismo Pescaia

Montepulciano, Tuscany

Between Montepulciano and Montefollonico, Sabrina and her family care for around 600 olive trees, many of which have been standing for generations. The olives are hand-picked and taken to the local mill, where they're pressed within 24 hours.

The result is a classic Tuscan blend of Frantoio, Leccino, Moraiolo, and Pendolino. Expect a fruity, grassy character with a lively peppery edge, and the kind of freshness that works beautifully with simple food.

This year's production was small, around 150 to 160 liters, so quantities are very limited.

It's also a particularly personal offering. Agriturismo Pescaia is a family farm that sells directly to private clients of their visitors that stay on the farm, and our Grapestained family.

Available in larger formats:

2 liters | €48
3 liters | €72
4 liters | €96
5 liters | €120
6 liters | €144
8 liters | €192

Shipping ranges from €75 to €100, depending on the quantity ordered.

La Fornace

Montalcino, Tuscany

La Fornace is a family farm with roots in the agricultural history of Montalcino. The parents bought the farm where they had spent their lives working as sharecroppers, and the next generation has continued cultivating the land with the help of their own children.

Most people know Montalcino for Brunello, but there's more to this corner of Tuscany than wine. The family also tends around two hectares of olive groves, planted mainly with Frantoio, alongside Leccino and other native Tuscan varieties. The olives here are just as intense as the Sangiovese.

Their oil is unfiltered, with an intense green color and a light, fresh character. It has a lovely place on the table alongside bruschetta, salads, vegetables, meat, pasta, and of course, a glass of Brunello.

750 ml | €50 per bottle

Minimum order: six bottles. Shipping is included in the price.

Tenuta Freddano

Orvieto, Umbria

Crossing into Umbria, Tenuta Freddano brings us to the countryside around Orvieto, where the estate's olive groves cover around six and a half hectares.

The olives are selected and harvested by hand before undergoing mechanical extraction. Their blend of Moraiolo, Frantoio, and Leccino produces an oil with a medium-fruity aroma, green color with golden reflections, and a balanced bitterness and peppery finish.

The oil in this corner is a bit less intense than those of Tuscany, but it delivers a gorgeous and fruity balance. A simple and delicious oil that does exactly what it should.

750 ml | €17 per bottle

Minimum order: six bottles.

Shipping: €94,80 for six bottles - But if you buy a bottle of their wine with it, for example, 5 bottles of oil and one of wine, the shipping drops to €70… (Don’t ask us why)

How to enjoy Olio Nuovo

Don't overthink it. Get yourself a good loaf of bread, toast it, pour over the oil, and finish with a pinch of salt. That's it.

You can also use it to finish a bowl of soup, drizzle it over cooked beans with herbs, dress some bitter greens, or pour it over roasted vegetables. Try it on a crostino with white bean or pumpkin purée, or alongside fresh mozzarella.

The important thing is to let the oil speak for itself, and do not use it as a cooking oil. Olio Nuovo is your finishing touch.

Fresh extra virgin olive oil is one of the world’s healthiest ingredients as it is a good source of monounsaturated fats and contains naturally occurring polyphenols. These compounds contribute to the nutritional value of olive oil, alongside its flavor and aroma.

And that little peppery sensation at the back of your throat? It can be a sign of naturally occurring phenolic compounds in the oil.

Good food doesn't need to be complicated. Sometimes it's just good bread, good oil, a little salt, and another glass of wine.

Bring a little of the harvest home

This is one of the best times of year, and it’s possible for you to enjoy it from wherever you are.

Rather than buying from a distributor, we're connecting you directly with the farms. When you place an order through Grapestained, we'll send your selection to the producer, who will then send you a payment link directly. Once payment is complete, your oil will be on its way.

It's a straightforward way to support the people who make these products and get something special onto your own table.

Here's how it works

1. Take a look at the five producers and choose the oil you'd like.

2. Reply directly to this email with the producer, bottle size or quantity, and number of bottles you'd like to order.

3. We'll forward your order to the farm.

4. The producer will send you a payment link directly and arrange shipment once payment is complete.

Shipping costs and minimum orders vary by producer. If you order from more than one farm, shipping will be handled separately.

These are small productions, and quantities are limited, so if there's an oil you've got your eye on, don't leave it too long.

Thank you, as always, for supporting the people and places behind Grapestained. Every bottle is a chance to get to know a little more of this part of the world, and I'm happy to help bring that experience to your table.

Cheers to good oil, good food, and the people who make both possible.