Castillo de Canena Launches Sherry-Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Spanish company Castillo de Canena joined forces with Bodegas Lustau to produce a unique Arbequina oil with the complex aromas of an aged sherry wine.

Castillo de Canena has done it again. This award-winning olive oil producer has a new product: Arbequina Amontillado extra virgin olive oil. During the production process, the oils are finished in Amontillado sherry casks. As a result, the oil takes on the complex aromas of an aged sherry wine. This is the first olive oil of its kind.

Says Rosa Vañó, the company’s marketing and communication director, on the company’s website, “The creation of this product is the result of inspiration. We decided to try to capture the complex and sublime nuances of a great sherry wine…  [Moreover,] we wanted to merge… two apparently separate worlds (extra virgin olive oil and fortified wines) to transfuse the powerful, defined notes of Jerez fortified wines into the soul of our Arbequina extra virgin olive oils.”

Castillo de Canena worked closely with Bodegas Lustau on this project, and renowned wine journalist Paz Ivison is closely involved. To create this unique product, Bodegas Lustau gave Castillo de Canena a 250-liter American oak barrel that was more than 100 years old containing an aged Amontillado that had never been bottled. The sherry was extracted from the cask, which was then filled with the Arbequina oil. Over time the oil infused with the aromas of the sherry. It was a complex task but well worth it. The resulting oil can be used in both classic and avant-garde recipes of all kinds.