Geyikli Olive Oil: a registration that names its pollinators

Olives are only partly self-fertile; a good crop usually needs a pollinator cultivar. Geyikli Olive Oil's certificate writes this into the production definition — it names the cultivars planted as pollinators.

The record

That the registrant is a cooperative is itself notable — most registrations are held by chambers of commerce or commodity exchanges.

Sensory description

Clear at room temperature, colour running from green to yellow, lightly flowing and light on the palate.

The certificate even describes where the pungency is felt: rolled around the mouth, low-to-moderate bitterness and a moderate pungency varying with harvest maturity are perceived on the palate and particularly through the papillae at the centre and sides of the upper tongue.

Fruitiness must carry at least one of artichoke, green tomato, grass, green fruity and soft fruity; ripe fruit, green apple, green almond, flowers, vanilla, fresh walnut and hazelnut may also appear.

Limits on aroma compounds

The certificate sets numerical limits on 16 compounds. Among them:

Most compounds carry an upper limit; two carry a lower one — linalool and zingiberene. The certificate therefore requires certain aromas to be present: these are the chemical counterparts of its floral and spicy notes.

Source: Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, Geographical Indication Registration Certificate No 685 — Geyikli Zeytinyağı.