Almazara Terraverne 555: the high-altitude Hojiblanca of Andalusia
In Andalusia, most olive groves are on the plain. Vast geometry of olive trees, red soil, constant sun — it is the classic image of Spanish oil. But a few kilometres north-east of Málaga, in the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park, geography changes brutally: the plain gives way to mountainous reliefs, and the olive tree clings to slopes at 555 metres altitude.
This is where Almazara Terraverne cultivates its Hojiblanca. Altitude is not a detail — it changes everything. The days are hot, the nights cool. The thermal contrasts slow ripening, concentrate aromas, and give the olive an aromatic complexity not found on the plain. The late harvest — mid-October — preserves the characteristic noble bite of young Hojiblanca. Three international prizes confirm this character.
Why this house is a reference
- 555 metres altitude — exception in Andalusia. Most Spanish AOVEs come from plain olive groves. At 555 m, in the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park, the climate is harsher, yield is lower, but the oil concentrates aromas not found lower down. It is the unique factor justifying the name “ 555 ” of the cuvée.
- 100 % Hojiblanca, monovarietal. No blending, no cutting. Pure Hojiblanca is one of the most expressive Andalusian varieties — cut grass, green apple, raw almond, noble bite. The monovariety allows tasting the terroir without dilution.
- Mid-October harvest, cold extraction within hours. Earlier than standard harvest (November), to preserve bite and polyphenols. Extraction within 6 hours. It is in this window that the difference between an ordinary extra virgin oil and an award-winning oil is played.
- Three international prizes in 2026. Great Taste Awards 2026 — 2 stars. Dubai International Taste Awards — Gold. Paris Honey Awards 2024. These competitions are tasted blind by professional panels. Accumulating three distinctions in two years places 555 in the very high end of Spanish AOVEs of its generation.
When I want to evaluate a premium olive oil, I do only one thing: warm country bread (lightly toasted, still hot), a drizzle of oil, a pinch of flake salt, and that's all. A mediocre oil disappears behind the bread. A good oil arrives in the mouth first — green grass, almond, bite — then the bread. It is the test Andalusian farmers have always done, and it remains the most accurate test. Almazara Terraverne's Hojiblanca 555 arrives in the mouth before the bread — immediate verdict.
The reference in the Orígenes catalogue
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil Hojiblanca 555 — 500 ml. 100 % Hojiblanca, Sierra de las Nieves at 555 m altitude. Mid-October 2025 harvest, cold extraction. Great Taste 2 stars, Dubai Gold, Paris 2024. 24.90 CHF.
How to serve an award-winning AOVE
- Raw on warm toasted bread. The ultimate test of an oil: lightly toasted country bread, oil drizzle, flake salt, that's all. No tomato, no butter, no garlic. The oil must be able to stand alone.
- On ripe tomatoes with fresh basil. Seasonal tomatoes sliced (never refrigerated), flake salt, basil, drizzle of Hojiblanca 555. Summer on a plate. Nothing else needed — the oil's quality makes the dish.
- A few drops on vanilla ice cream. A surprising gesture that reveals the sweet-salty potential of premium oil. The noble bitterness balances the sugar, the roundness enriches it. It is the connoisseurs' test.
Olive oil is not served, it is tasted.Andalusian saying
The Hojiblanca 555 oil at 24.90 CHF the 500 ml bottle is an oil to reserve for raw uses — finishing, vinaigrette, drizzle on finished dish. Cooking it at high temperature would be wasting its aromatic potential. For daily cooking (sauts, frying, paellas), take a more voluminous extra virgin oil like the Finca La Barca 5 L tin. Having both in the kitchen is the classic Spanish chefs' strategy: an oil to cook, an oil to finish.
What to remember
Altitude changes everything. Andalusian plain Hojiblanca is good, sometimes excellent — but Hojiblanca from Sierra de las Nieves, at 555 m, plays in another category. The day-night thermal contrasts give it an aromatic complexity not found lower down. Three international prizes confirm this character. It is the oil to reserve for moments when one wants the oil to be the dish — not a simple support.
Our selection — Extra Virgin Olive Oil Hojiblanca 555 — 500 ml — is in our Almazara Terraverne aisle. 500 ml glass bottle, imported directly from Andalusia, Swiss delivery 2 to 4 days, free returns 14 days.
