di Lusso Estate Produce
Di Lusso Estate Olives
Our 500-tree olive grove was planted in 1999. It has four varieties. There are two Tuscan varieties – Frantoio and Corregiola – that yield the sharper flavours of the more northern Italian varieties. There is a utilitarian Californian hybrid – UC22 – that produces an olive that can be used for both table and oil; and an Australian variety – Hardy Mammoth – that yields a fruity oil or table olive. Our production is small at around 400 litres, which is enough toe provide premium oil for the di Lusso kitchen and a limited amount of extra virgin olive oil for sale at the cellar door. In 2010 we planted a small grove of the Spanish table olive variety Manzanilla.
Di Lusso Estate Figs
The fig orchard – comprising equal numbers of Italian varieties White Adriatic and Black Genoa, Brown Turkey, Preston Prolific and Excell - is now fully mature, producing around 200,000 figs a year. We prune the trees hard, to produce just one crop a year, from February to April. The vast majority of these figs become paste – infused with herbs like rosemary, balsamic or ginger to suit cheese boards. We also produce a green mango chutney from end of season unripe figs. Every season, February and March, we honour this amazing fruit with a Festa di Fichi attended by the fig-loving community.
Other food products
We produce other products, primarily for the kitchen such a chili jam, salad dressing, mosto cotto, beetroot relish and vin cotto. Due to visitor demand, much of this product range also finds its way to our cellar door table.