The road of olive oil in Vaucluse

It could start on the town of Oppède, at the gates of the Luberon, at the crossroads of Coustellet, Cabrières, Ménerbes or Baumettes. Frédéric Nibbio, 44, has been a miller for 12 years. His perseverance forces respect. Before refurbishing the mill Saint-Augustin, created by monks of Senanque in the Middle Ages, he worked in the quarries of stones of Ménerbes.

Today, he cultivates three hectares of orchards planted in aglandau, but, above all, he presses the olives of 1,800 harvesters, who produce, besides the classical aglandau which reigns here as a demanding mistress, and which is also called the verde of Carpentras. Pichouline de Nîmes, the cailletier, also called "Niçoise", the tench, dear to Nyons, without omitting the salonenque, native, as its name suggests, Salon-de-Provence.
The aglandau is ardent and has the taste of artichoke. It is the richest variety of antioxidants and vitamins. The pichouline is more peppery. The cailletier is the softest, the thinnest tench. As for the salonenque, its elasticity allows to develop aromas that remain longer in the mouth.
Frédéric relates his oil. It is issued for 20% salonenque and 80% aglandau. First we can distinguish the green fruity, obtained from the olives at the beginning of maturity and worked in the three to four days following the arrival at the mill, from early November to the first frosts. The ripe fruit is, on the other hand, milder, with its more velvety flavor of almonds, for the more mature olive has undergone frosts. It is worked from Sainte-Catherine until Christmas.

Frédéric also brings a black fruity, with a ripe olive, kept five to six days so that a fermentation takes place. Its woody taste recalls the mushroom, the hazelnut and the undergrowth.
The difference between the olive oil of the Vaucluse, as practiced by Frederic Nibbio, and the others is that he uses only olive oil, while his neighbors use the olives of the mouth. The botanical, highly prized in the valley of Les Baux, is round, fleshy, but its taste is closer to the almond than to the artichoke. The verdale, similarly beloved of the oleiculturists of Les Baux, is a cousin of the aglandau.

Bitterness and spiciness
In its ultramodern and all stainless steel press, Frédéric presses the olive with the almond because it contains pectin, thus an important conservative element and an almond note that gives it a beautiful part of its character. By crushing the olive more or less, it plays on bitterness and piquancy.
The touristic-urban version of the mill in oil, we will have it crossing the bridge of the Rhone between Avignon and Villeneuve. Philippe Bronzini, who was in the insurance, took over an old mill reserved for the neighboring Chartreuse which he revived. The house dates from 1358, welcomes olives from 2 000 producers around Avignon. The north of the Bouches-du-Rhône joins the Gard and the Vaucluse. Aglandau and pichouline are here equally. The intense green fruity dominates. What do we love here? The sense of welcome, a boutique that plays its role as a workshop discovered a strand museum. The place is pedagogical, it is fortunate to have become familiar with this elixir of eternal youth.
 

Practical notebook
Go
Paris-Avignon TGV in 2 h40, www.sncf.com.
ADT Vaucluse Tourism. 04.90.80.47.00, www.provenceguide.com.

Restore
House Gouin. Grocery and gourmet table offering country and market cuisine at reasonable prices. Menus: 16 E (breakfast), 33 E. 44, route d'Apt, Maubec. 04.90.76.90.18.
The Bastide of the big lime tree. Charm and softness in a village house with two adorable menus: 25 E (weekdays), 32 E. 1, avenue des Brullières, Mérindol. 04.32.50.20.82.
The essential. Laurent and Dominique Chouviat offer menus full of freshness. Menus: 29, 41 E. 2, Petite-Fusterie Street. Avignon. 04.90.85.87.12.
The Fenière. Reine Sammut sublimates the best products of Provence with a delicate delicacy, while Guy, her husband, advises the wines with passion. Menus: 35, 39 (at the "cour de ferme"), 65, 125 E. Route de Cadenet, Lourmarin. 04.90.68.11.79.

Visits
Moulin Saint-Augustin, Oppède. 04.90.72.43.66, www.moulin- saintaugustin.com.
Moulin Mathieu, Oppède. 04.90.76.90.66, www.moulin-mathieu.com.
Moulin Dauphin, Cucuron. 04.90.77.26.17, www.moulin-dauphin.com.
Moulin du Clos-des-Jeannons, Gordes. 04.90.72.68.35. www.huile-provence.com.
Mill of oil of the Old castle, Mérindol. 04.90.72.86.76, www.moulin-a-huile-du-vieux-chateau.com.
Oil mill of the Chartreuse, Villeneuve-lès-Avignon. 04.90.25.45.59, www.moulindelachartreuse.com

To sleep
The Mirande. Former palace cardinalice with two beautiful tables. Ch. 350-450 E. 4, Place de l'Amirande, Avignon. 04.90.85.93.93.
The Bastide of Mary. Dream house in the vineyards. Ch. 250-450 E. Route de Bonnieux, district of the Verrerie, Ménerbes. 04.90.72.30.20, www.labastidedemarie.com.
The Clos du Buis. House in the heart of a neat village (92-138 E). Rue Victor-Hugo, Bonnieux. 04.90.75.88.48, www.leclosdubuis.fr.

BY GILLES PUDLOWSKI

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