Somontano Secures PDO Status, Boosting Traditional Producers in Aragón

Summary

Traditional olive farm­ers in Huesca’s province are cel­e­brat­ing the approval of a new Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) for Aceite del Somontano, which has entered the European Union Register of Geographical Indications after a years-long process involv­ing farm­ers across forty-two munic­i­pal­i­ties. The PDO for Aceite del Somontano requires that at least 85 per­cent of the olive oil must come from native vari­eties, and all extrac­tion, stor­age, and bot­tling must take place within the region, with the goal of pre­serv­ing tra­di­tional land­scapes and enhanc­ing the over­all value of the prod­uct.

In the heart of Huesca’s province, in Aragón, tra­di­tional olive farm­ers are cel­e­brat­ing the approval of the new Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) for Aceite del Somontano.

Many of these vari­eties are grown in cen­turies-old groves planted on ter­races. We hope the des­ig­na­tion encour­ages farm­ers to con­tinue cul­ti­vat­ing them.- Carlos Dominguez, pres­i­dent of the DOP Aceite del Somontano

The new PDO has entered the European Union Register of Geographical Indications after a years-long process involv­ing farm­ers across forty-two munic­i­pal­i­ties.

Somontano, mean­ing ​“under the moun­tain,” describes the fron­tier zone stretch­ing from the foothills of the cen­tral Pyrenees toward the Ebro val­ley.

“After a long road, with much work and effort, we have finally obtained the des­ig­na­tion,” Carlos Dominguez, pres­i­dent of the DOP Aceite del Somontano, told Olive Oil Times.

The asso­ci­a­tion over­sees pro­mot­ing the region’s her­itage, strength­en­ing the mar­ket posi­tion of tra­di­tional pro­duc­ers and ensur­ing authen­tic­ity and trace­abil­ity.

Somontano becomes the third olive oil PDO in Aragón, join­ing Bajo Aragón and Sierra del Moncayo.

According to the strict prod­uct spec­i­fi­ca­tion that reg­u­lates pro­duc­tion, at least 85 per­cent of Aceite del Somontano must come from native vari­eties, includ­ing Albareta, Alcampelina, Caspolina, Cerruda, Negral de Bierge and Verdeña.

“We have always focused on local vari­eties — eigh­teen in Somontano — while lim­it­ing Arbequina to fif­teen per­cent,” Dominguez said.

The rules require olives to be har­vested and milled quickly at con­trolled tem­per­a­tures to pre­serve green fruiti­ness and avoid astrin­gency.

All extrac­tion, stor­age and bot­tling must take place within the region. These steps guar­an­tee trace­abil­ity and a sen­sory pro­file shaped by the cool Pyrenean influ­ence and ter­raced, tra­di­tional groves, with notes of green olive, grass, leaf, almond and tomato.

“We believe that pre­serv­ing and pro­mot­ing these local vari­eties allows us to pro­duce a dis­tinc­tive olive oil, with a wide range of fla­vors and inten­si­ties,” he added.

The PDO pro­vides com­plete legal pro­tec­tion across the European Union, ensur­ing that only olive oils pro­duced within the des­ig­nated moun­tain-foothill area using native vari­eties and tra­di­tional meth­ods may carry the name.

The des­ig­na­tion is expected to help pro­duc­ers posi­tion their oils in pre­mium mar­kets, strengthen their pres­ence abroad and enhance over­all value.

The appli­ca­tion for the PDO also empha­sized the ben­e­fit to the ter­ri­tory: an added incen­tive to pre­serve tra­di­tional land­scapes at a time when many face inten­si­fi­ca­tion or aban­don­ment.

“Many of these vari­eties are grown in cen­turies-old groves planted on ter­races. We hope the des­ig­na­tion encour­ages farm­ers to con­tinue cul­ti­vat­ing them,” Dominguez said.

Farmers say the recog­ni­tion blends mod­ern tech­niques with ancient his­tory, hon­or­ing gen­er­a­tions of grow­ers.

“Traditional olive groves have been passed down from our ances­tors. It would be nat­ural not to be the last to enjoy them,” Dominguez noted.

“Sooner or later, we should con­sider the cen­turies-old olive tree as a pro­tected tree,” he added.

“What we have seen in recent years makes lit­tle sense. There is room for tra­di­tional olive groves and inten­sive ones,” Dominguez con­cluded, refer­ring to the heated debate about the future of olive cul­ti­va­tion in Spain.