The olives are on schedule. As of this week, the fruit on our trees in Paciano is at roughly 80% of the size it should reach for this point in the season, right where we want to be with about seven weeks to go before harvest.

Where the fruit is in its cycle

Olives went through pit hardening in July, when the stone at the center of each drupe solidifies. Since then, the trees have been in the sizing and oil accumulation phase: the fruit keeps growing through late summer while the pulp starts converting stored reserves into oil. The next visible milestone is veraison, the point where the green skin starts to lose its intensity and shift toward yellow, then red, then black. That normally starts in late September to October here, and it’s the signal that harvest is close.

Right now, every olive on the tree is still solid green. That’s exactly where they should be.

The weather behind it

Umbria has run dry since May this year, which tracks with what growers across central Italy have been reporting all season. Rain has been sparse through most of the summer. This week broke that pattern: Paciano got a real thunderstorm on August 25, close to half an inch in a single afternoon. The forecast has the rest of the week swinging back to hot and dry, with highs pushing toward the mid 90s (Fahrenheit) by Friday before easing back down.

For fruit that’s mid sizing, a well timed rain like this one matters. It doesn’t undo a dry summer, but it gives the trees water right when they’re building fruit mass, which is what we want to see before the sizing window closes.

Harvest is still October 14 to 15

We’re holding our harvest dates at October 14 and 15, pressing at Frantoio Olivestri with Paolo Vestri, same as last year. Flights are booked. We’re going as a family this time, so expect photos from the grove and the mill once we’re there.

2026 bottles are still open for presale, 15% off through October 31. Reserve the 2026 harvest →

Thanks for following along. More updates as the fruit moves through veraison.

Ricardo