Bianca Bellezza

• Variety: Bianchera (Istrian bjelica)
• Ecologically produced
• Category: medium fruity
• Position: Karigador (Brtonigla)
• Pairing: seafood starters, smoked fish, savoury pastries with vegetables, wild asparagus risotto, grilled sliced meat and fish, yoghurt ice cream or chocolate, recommended as a condiment to finish any dish

At the age of 75 and on the threshold of the new millennium, Mate Vekić bedded his first olive tree in the ground of his beloved Istria and built his mill which now stands above the coast overlooking the Adriatic sea. Every year since then, the careful hand-picking of olives and the milling in real-time, produces an extraordinary oil. He planted varieties such as Frantoio, Leccino, and Pendolino – being the only varieties available in large quantities at that time. More recently, given the significant recovery of areas dedicated to olive cultivation, Mate turned his attention to ancient native varieties such as Busa (Buža), Bianchera (Istarska Bjelica), and Carbonazza (Karbonaca). The company is located in Zambratija, and its philosophy is based on deep respect for nature and the environment. They consciously strive to obtain a perfect balance between the requirements of the plants and the potential of the terrain in order to produce only the highest quality olive oil. The mill is equipped with the most technically advanced machinery allowing the quality of the oil obtained from the plants and extracted from the olives to remain unaltered. The olives that are hand-picked during the day will have been turned into oil by evening. Organic extra virgin olive oil by Mate Oil is the most eloquent and pure expression of what is natural, which beholds supreme excellence and the age-old culture of oil, obtained only by the pressing of lovingly hand-picked olives. Mate's trees are tended to by experienced olive growers and cultivators using traditional methods alongside modern technology. Mate Oil is founded on a realistic concept using simple and well-balanced principles that are very much in tune with the times. The favorable climatic and environmental conditions as well as the proximity of the orchards to the sea give life to a unique product that is marked by its originality and history and one that boasts rich aromas and flavors bestowed to it by the Istrian territory.