Just curious. I looked but can’t find any information online other than a vague notion of where the olives were grown. What are the numbers on this stuff? Crush date? Poly-phenol levels? Free Fatty Acids? Peroxide Value? Oleic Acid? DAGS (diacilglycerols)?
What are you going to do with it? Cooking requires certain qualities. Other qualities are desirable for salads and garnishes.
More importantly, can I taste it before buying?
Most importantly, does it have a cool, hand-engraved label?
That’s what I have been buying.
I did buy!
Great oil!
the sardines and tuna are also magnificent!
I will try on berserker day.
![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Salads, side dishes, dipping
This is all they say
“In gratitude for your patience, this year we have set aside a few bottles of our estate-grown olive oils to share with you. These two bottlings are from our St Helena properties - Madrona Ranch and Cappella. Produced with the same attention to detail as our wines, these special oils are staples in our own kitchens, and we are proud to offer them exclusively to mailing list members. It may be a poor substitute for the wine you are waiting for, but it’s a small token of our appreciation, and hopefully one that will bring pleasure to your family’s table.”
My introduction to olive oil was recent, but eye opening. I have seen as many variables and variations as I have in wine. Vintage, terroir, handling and preparation are all important factors in the final product. Freshness is paramount. Olive oil begins to deteriorate as soon as it is pressed, unlike wine, it does not get better with age.
Like wine, it ranges from light and delicate to dark and flavorful. I don’t understand most of the chemistry, but it is clearly important. I now understand that, like wine, it is not possible to make a judgment without tasting. Not so much a judgment of good or bad, but a judgment of what you like and want to eat.
Couple of suggestions then. I have not tasted any of the oils recommended here, but others have. That is one place to start. Much better, I think, would be to go to an olive oil shop and ask them for a tasting. If they don’t offer tastings or are not helpful, move on to one that does. Taste, taste, taste and find what you like. When you find a good one, you will see that there is no comparing it to grocery store oil. You should be able to get high quality oil – that suits your taste – for $15-$25/.375.