Chianti Classico PDO Celebrates New Harvest with ‘Novo’ Event in Florence

Summary

The event ​“Novo” show­cased new extra vir­gin olive oils from the lat­est har­vest by the Olio DOP Chianti Classico Consortium in Florence, Italy. The four-course din­ner cre­ated by chef Andrea Perini fea­tured dishes paired with Chianti Classico PDO extra vir­gin olive oils, high­light­ing the diverse aro­mas and fla­vors of the oils.

“Novo,” the Tuscan word for new, is the name of an event cre­ated by the Olio DOP Chianti Classico (Chianti Classico PDO Oil) Consortium to present extra vir­gin olive oils from the lat­est har­vest.

The inau­gural edi­tion was held on December 19 in the evoca­tive set­ting of Florence’s Niccolini Theater, the city’s old­est the­ater and one of the first mod­ern the­aters in Europe. For the occa­sion, its his­toric stalls were opened to host guests along­side pro­duc­ers, indus­try pro­fes­sion­als, and mem­bers of the press.

The event also marked two impor­tant mile­stones: the 50th anniver­sary of the Consortium and 25 years since it received Protected Designation of Origin cer­ti­fi­ca­tion.

The Consortium sup­ports pro­duc­ers in their ongo­ing com­mit­ment to qual­ity, extend­ing its mis­sion beyond pro­duc­tion to include sci­en­tific ini­tia­tives and pro­fes­sional train­ing pro­grams.

Novo in Florence celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Chianti Classico PDO Oil Consortium and the 25 years since the Protected Designation of Origin certification was received.

An expres­sion of a ter­ri­tory span­ning nine munic­i­pal­i­ties in the provinces of Siena and Florence, in Tuscany, Olio DOP Chianti Classico is pro­duced by the Consortium’s 181 mem­bers. The oil is char­ac­ter­ized by aro­mas of green olive, raw arti­choke, fresh grass, and almond, fol­lowed by a lin­ger­ing spici­ness.

Presented by Consortium President Gionni Pruneti and Chianti Classico Wine Consortium Director Carlotta Gori, the evening fea­tured a four-course din­ner by chef Andrea Perini.

Each dish was paired with a Chianti Classico PDO extra vir­gin olive oil, with guests encour­aged to sam­ple addi­tional oils from a selec­tion arranged by inten­sity and sen­sory pro­file.

The menu was accom­pa­nied by a selec­tion of Chianti Classico DOCG wines, with Vin Santo del Chianti Classico DOC rec­om­mended for dessert.

During the event, Perini was named the first Ambassador of Chianti Classico PDO Oil, in recog­ni­tion of his long-stand­ing exper­tise and ded­i­ca­tion to pro­mot­ing the con­scious use of olive oil in the kitchen.

In clos­ing, Pruneti and Gori paid trib­ute to the pro­duc­ers who, together with the Consortium’s first pro­moter, Lapo Mazzei, founded the orga­ni­za­tion. Their pio­neer­ing vision con­tin­ues to guide the denom­i­na­tion more than 50 years later.

“As we cel­e­brate half a cen­tury since its found­ing, the num­ber of Consortium mem­bers has con­tin­ued to grow,” Pruneti told Olive Oil Times. ​“Our goal remains to pro­tect an oil from a region uniquely suited to olive cul­ti­va­tion and of excep­tional beauty, while sup­port­ing grow­ers com­pet­ing on the global mar­ket under the shared sym­bol of the Black Rooster.”

After the event, Perini shared a detailed account of how he con­ceived and pre­pared the din­ner.

First course – Beef sashimi

Top sir­loin was cured for ten hours in a salt-and-sugar mix­ture with aro­matic herbs, includ­ing mar­jo­ram, fen­nel, and dill. Finely hand-sliced, the beef was served as three indi­vid­ual bites, each fin­ished with a dif­fer­ent olive oil.

Beef Sashimi by Chef Andrea Perini (Photo by Consorzio Olio DOP Chianti Classico)

“I used three blends of sim­i­lar char­ac­ter but dif­fer­ent inten­sity,” Perini explained. ​“I added bal­samic vine­gar to the medium-inten­sity oil and gin­ger and soy to the most intense one, so each bite expressed a dis­tinct aro­matic pro­file.”

The dish was accom­pa­nied by salsa verde may­on­naise and gia­r­diniera, refresh­ing the palate between tast­ings. Guests were invited to fur­ther exper­i­ment by adding oils of vary­ing inten­sity.

Second course – Celeriac faux risotto

Diced cele­riac was toasted like a tra­di­tional risotto, then reduced in broth made from its trim­mings, and finally stirred with ​“bur­ro­lio” and over­cooked rice paste to achieve a creamy tex­ture.

Celeriac faux risotto, its reduction, Galaverna fondue, and pollen by Chef Andrea Perini (Photo by Consorzio Olio DOP Chianti Classico)

Served with a cele­riac stock infused with gin­ger, lemon ver­bena, and thyme, the dish was fin­ished with Galaverna fon­due, dried pollen, and a medium-inten­sity extra vir­gin olive oil. Its prepa­ra­tion high­lighted an anti-waste approach by using the vegetable’s scraps.

Third course – Fallow deer sir­loin

The veni­son was pan-seared with spices, baked, sliced, and glazed with a reduc­tion made from its bones. It was served along­side bor­lotti bean purée and baby spinach sautéed in extra vir­gin olive oil.

Fallow deer sirloin with borlotti bean purée and a baby spinach rollatina by Chef Andrea Perini (Photo by Consorzio Olio DOP Chianti Classico)

“A del­i­cate oil in the purée helped cre­ate a vel­vety mouth­feel,” Perini noted. Guests were encour­aged to add medium-inten­sity oils with almond and pine nut notes.

Dessert – White choco­late cre­moso

The dessert com­bined white choco­late cre­moso made with water, elder­berry syrup, and extra vir­gin olive oil, topped with semi-can­died and fresh bell pep­pers, straw­ber­ries, and goat’s yogurt foam.

White chocolate cremoso, bell peppers, strawberries, and goat’s yogurt foam by Chef Andrea Perini (Photo by Consorzio Olio DOP Chianti Classico)

“An intense, green, and spicy oil brought fresh­ness to the dish, enhanc­ing the veg­e­tal notes of the fruit,” Perini said, invit­ing guests to fin­ish with oils fea­tur­ing intense fruiti­ness and herbal aro­mas.