Kolovi Olives
The rustic oil olive of Lesbos, also called Valanolia: a fruity, balanced Aegean oil.
The Kolovi — also known as Valanolia — is, with the Adramytini, one of the two great oil olives of Lesvos. Hardy, adaptable and very productive, it copes with the island’s conditions and gives a fruity, well-balanced oil with a fresh character and moderate bitterness. Between them, these two cultivars make Lesvos one of Greece’s most important oil islands.
- Origin
- Lesvos · Greece
- Also called
- Valanolia
- Type
- Oil olive
- Colour
- Green to black
- Flavour (oil)
- Fruity, fresh, balanced
- Traits
- Hardy, very productive
- Best for
- Balanced Aegean oil
The island’s workhorse
If the Adramytini is the soft, sweet face of Lesvos oil, the Kolovi is its dependable, productive backbone — a tough, adaptable tree that bears reliably and gives a fresh, fruity, balanced oil with a touch more structure. The two are often grown and pressed together, and a Lesvos oil you enjoy is frequently a blend of both.
Lesvos has one of the densest olive landscapes anywhere — millions of trees — yet its oil is far less marketed abroad than mainland Greek or Cretan names. A named Lesvos oil (Kolovi, Adramytini, or a blend) is often outstanding value.