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<pre>.
>
> With the greatest of respect, you got to be kidding.
>
> The appeal of olive oil is its variance, NOT its conformity to a
> standard. Smaller growers are generally highly dedicated to each and
> every step of their production process, with monitoring for quality
> their highest priority. The very fact that there may be some
> difference in style of their product from season to season is a plus,
> not a minus.

"Smaller growers are generally highly dedicated to each and every step
....."

Hmm, that doesn't always ring true. I don't know where you are based and
what your local growers are doing, but here in the Hunter Valley we have an
olive and (to a lesser degree) a grape growing industry which is the
province of the Pitt Street farmer. I look after and advise several local
growers, all of whom are Sydney based, all of whom have bought the property
in the country with the intention of eventually giving up the day job to
retire to a life on the farm, kicking back and relaxing. Very few Hunter
Valley growers have more than 3000 trees. Very few actually live and work 7
days a week on site, and very few rely on olives as their primary source of
income. The Hunter Olive Association has around 180 members, over 50% of
which give their address as somewhere in Sydney. This is not a small
proprtion of our industry, but rather the majority.

As a result their 1 or 2 day a week commitment to "generally highly
dedicated to each and every step of their production process, with
monitoring for quality their highest priority." must be called into
question. I suspect this reaction is common within a 2 hour drive of any of
our capital cities.

>
> One cannot equate "consitency" with "quality". Unless of course you
> think a Penfolds "Chateau Collapso" is comparable to a Grange.

You miss the point. Small does not always mean good. Big does not
automatically mean bland. I also have strong ties to the Hunter Valley wine
industry, and I have never had a bad wine from Lindemans or Rosemount, but
I've tasted some shockers from the boutique wineries.

Mike Wilson.
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