Get to know the essence of Provence with this visit to an olive grove in Salon-de-Provence, where you'll also enjoy a comprehensive olive oil tasting. An authentic experience of olive oil tourism in the south of France!
Visit Details
How are Mediterranean oils made? To find out, we'll meet at the designated time at Moulin Mas des Bories, an olive oil mill in the outskirts of the picturesque city of Salon.-en-Provence, in southern France.
The olive oil mill is called Mas de Bories due to the bories
—small stone cabins, which are true masterpieces of 19th-century agricultural architecture in Provence. These distinctive buildings are scattered among the olive trees in the area.
During this visit to the Mas des Bories olive grove, we'll find out what a traditional olive plantation in Provence is like. We'll also get to know what techniques are used to cultivate the olives and in the olive oil production process.
As we'll see, each variety of olive is harvested separately, at its optimal ripening time, and then processed individually in a traditional mill using a cold extraction technique. In this way, the so-called single-variety extra virgin oils are obtained, a true emblem of Mediterranean cuisine.
From here, we'll stroll through the grove as we learn about the 4 varieties of olives cultivated in Moulin Mas des Bories: Salonenque, native to Salon-de-Provence; Grossane and Bouteillan, 2 exceptional varieties from the department of Var; as well as Aglandau, a variety typical of Provence which produces an oil with a particularly spicy character.
After exploring the olive grove and the olive oil mill, we'll conclude this 1-hour activity with an olive oil tasting, where we'll try the different types cultivated in Moulin Mas des Bories. What a high note to end the tour on!