Publication of an application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs

2009/C 232/13

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006. Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months of the date of this publication.

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘ΕΞΑΙΡΕΤΙΚΟ ΠΑΡΘΕΝΟ ΕΛΑΙΟΛΑΔΟ ΣΕΛΙΝΟ ΚΡHΤΗΣ’ (EXERETIKO PARTHENO ELEOLADO SELINO KRITIS)

EC No: EL-PDO-0005-0515-20.12.2005

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

This summary sets out the main elements of the product specification for information purposes.

1.   Responsible department in the Member State:

2.   Group:

3.   Type of product:

4.   Specification:

(summary of requirements under Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

4.1.   Name:

‘Εξαιρετικό Παρθένο Ελαιόλαδο Σέλινο Κρήτης’ (Exeretiko Partheno Eleolado Selino Kritis)

4.2.   Description:

Extra virgin olive oil, dark green to green in colour, with a median for defects equal to zero, a fruity, slightly bitter and piquant taste and a fruity olive aroma with a minimum median for fruitiness of 3,2. Maximum acidity of 0,7 % (percentage by weight of oleic acid) and a maximum peroxide number of 15 (meq active oxygen/kg). Extinction coefficients Κ270 and Κ232 and the extinction coefficient variation have maximum values of 0,15, 2,5 and 0,00 respectively.

The olive oil is produced from olives of the ‘tsounati’ variety, in a proportion of at least 60 %, and from olives of the ‘koroneiki’ variety up to a maximum of 40 %.

The physico-chemical and organoleptic characteristics of Exeretiko Partheno Eleolado Selino Kritis are due mainly to the specific climatic (high level of sunshine, high rainfall, low relative humidity) and geomorphological (sloping terrain with significant variations in altitude) conditions in the area, and to the exploitation of the comparative advantages conferred by the properties of the tsounati and koroneiki varieties grown in the various altitude zones of the defined geographical area.

4.3.   Geographical area:

The olives and the olive oil are produced within the defined geographical area. The geographical area is the Province of Selinos, which is located in the southwest part of the Prefecture of Hania. It covers the administrative districts of the municipalities of Kandanos, Pelekanos and Anatolikos Selinos. The area is mainly mountainous, exceeding 1 000 metres. It is covered in olive trees, which constitute the main crop of the rural families of the Province of Prefecture.

4.4.   Proof of origin:

The traceability of the product is guaranteed at each stage of the production process, from olive growing to the pressing, storage, transport and standardisation of the product right up to when it reaches the final consumer.

Every person involved retains the data relating to the production and standardisation processes so that the competent supervisory body (currently the OPEGEP) may check that all the procedures have been complied with in order to ensure the traceability of the product.

4.5.   Method of production:

The cultivation of the tsounati and koroneiki varieties is extensive and is carried out using very few inputs (fertilisers, irrigation, plant-protection products). The koroneiki variety is cultivated on land of a maximum altitude of 500 metres while the tsounati variety is found at higher altitudes. Where the terrain is only slightly inclined, the soil is tilled using mostly mechanical means. Given that most of the soil in the area is neutral to acid, sulphur fertilisers are not used but occasional liming is carried out. The olive trees react well to an annual input of nitrogen whereas reaction to potassic fertilisers is small but positive. There are very few irrigated olive groves in the area. The main enemy of olive cultivation is the olive fly (Bactrocera oleae), which is combated by the Rural Development Directorate of the Prefecture of Hania by means of preventive bait spraying on the ground. The olive fly population is monitored using suitable traps. In the context of the fight against olive knot, the wounds are sprayed preventively and disinfected with suitable preparations, in particular for the koroneiki variety. Although the tsounati variety is sensitive to the Cycloconium oleaginum fungus, it is not considered necessary to take any measures since, due to the geomorphology of the area, there is good ventilation and relative air humidity is maintained at levels which are insufficient to enable the disease to develop.

The harvesting of the koroneiki variety starts at the beginning of November and ends in December, whereas the tsounati variety ripens in stages and harvesting starts at the end of December-beginning of January, is suspended during the cold season and starts again at the end of February, ending in April. However, the bulk of the tsounati variety which is used for Selinos extra virgin olive oil is harvested by the end of January, and therefore the olive oil produced meets the required quality specifications. The criteria used for determining the degree of ripeness of the fruit are when the colour of the skin has fully changed from greenyyellow to dark purple and at least half the flesh is a dark violet colour. The olives are harvested using thrashing devices and are also gathered off the ground once they have fallen spontaneously onto catching nets.

The olives are transported mainly in sacks made of light material or in plastic containers. They are stored in special areas under controlled conditions so as to preserve their specific qualities. Given that the olives should be processed not later than 24 hours after they have been harvested, transport and storage time should be as short as possible and together should not exceed 24 hours.

The olive oil is extracted by mechanical means at a temperature not exceeding 25 °C at the olive mills in the area which have been approved by the competent supervisory authority. The olive oil made primarily from the koroneiki variety but also from the tsounaki variety is stored appropriately for one to three months until it is mixed in drums. During storage, the solid particles and dregs which have settled are eliminated by decanting the olive oil into a clean drum in such a way as to limit its exposure to oxygen and reduce to a minimum the amount of air with which it comes into contact.

4.6.   Link:

Historical

In the Kantanos basin there are monumental olive trees called ‘dekaoktouses’ which are over 1 500 years old, with trunks of a girth of up to 12,3 metres; ‘mantinades’ (Cretan folk songs) also confirm that Selinos is an oliveproducing area.

Natural

As regards its terrain, the defined geographical area is made up mainly of schistose soil, although there is also calcareous soil in smaller quantities. The region is mostly mountainous, above 400 metres, with mainly sloping terrain except for the Kantanos basin which, morphologically, is a plateau. Characteristic features of the area are its high rainfall, low relative humidity and small number of cloudy days.

The terrain, with its sloping land that ends in a plain, giving the olive groves the best possible exposure to light, contributes to increasing the concentration of alkaloids which give the final product its fruity quality. Moreover, the low organic content of the soil increases the aromatic components of the olive oil produced. The slightly bitter and piquant taste is attributed to the small addition of the koroneiki variety to the final product and is due to the phenolic substances contained in the olives at harvest time. The dark green colour is due to the increased concentration of chlorophyll, mainly pheophytin and piropheophytin.

The climatic conditions in the region (humidity, temperature) enable the characteristics of the tsounati variety, which can be considered to be in its natural habitat, to develop to the full. The lateness of the variety, which translates into late flowering and late fruit setting and therefore late maturing, is influenced by temperature and the relative humidity of the air and soil which are optimum at the crucial periods. Also, the tsounati variety's resistance to cold means that it can be cultivated widely across the area. The koroneiki variety is best cultivated at lower altitudes and in soil which is sufficiently humid, thus utilising the specific terrain of the defined geographical area in the best possible way.

The cultivation of the tsounati and koroneiki varieties, and by extension the production of Selinos extra virgin olive oil, is the only way forward for the defined geographical area since the predominance of poor, and to a large extent acid, schistose soil makes it difficult switch to a different crop or a different variety or to adopt intensive cultivation methods which are more productive. Moreover, the natural beauty of the landscape is preserved since the rich surface root system of the tsounati variety in particular prevents surface runoff and erosion of the particularly fragile schistose sloping terrain.

4.7.   Inspection body:

In accordance with national legislation, the inspection and application of measures concerning protected designation of origin olive oil is currently carried out by the bodies set out below.

4.8.   Labelling:

The packaging of the olive oil must carry the indication: ‘Εξαιρετικό Παρθένο Ελαιόλαδο Σέλινο Κρήτης’ (Exeretiko Partheno Eleolado Selino Kritis), as well as the information required under national and Community legislation.