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A taste of the sublime and the olive drab

By JANET K. KEELER
Published February 23, 2005

	Essential oils The rise of California's estate olive oils has cooks learning what the world has long known: the oil can be as varied and sophisticated as wine. A taste of the sublime and the olive drab If you think all olive oil is created equal, a tasting party will change your mind. Q & A: Olive oil

If you think all olive oil is created equal, a tasting party will change your mind.

We hosted one at my house under the guidance of chef Gui Alinat, a regular Taste columnist, who recently visited some estate olive oil makers in Northern California. A little wine, some delicious food and lots of olive oils entertained us far more than we ever imagined. Knowing that there are heavenly olive oils out there didn't change our lives, but not one of us will look at the grocery store shelf of oils the same way again.

Here are some suggestions for hosting your own party.

WHAT TO TASTE. We tasted 10 extra-virgin olive oils, including generic varieties from Pompeian, Vigo and Bertoli. That's probably a few more than you'll want to do, but it's good to have at least two common brands for comparison. We were surprised how harsh they were.

Find olive oils from Spain, France, Italy, Greece and California. Look for them at specialty food stores and online. An Internet search for olive oil will turn up several suppliers but we especially like www.zingermans.com Alinat brought three estate olive oils from Silverado Vineyards in Napa Valley. The remainder were purchased from Zingerman's, a legendary deli and food market in Ann Arbor, Mich., that has a thriving online business. Rounding out our tasting were Pasolivo California, Tenuta di Valgiano (Italy), Organic L'Estornell (Spain) and Nicholas Alziari (France).

The olive oils that had years on the labels were no older than two years. Unlike wine, olive oil does not get better with age.

THE MONEY FACTOR. An olive oil tasting can be expensive, with one bottle costing as much as $50 (plus shipping charges). Rather than have the host buy it all, each guest could bring a bottle. The host should coordinate who is bringing what. You can trade olive oils after the party or take home what you brought.

THE MECHANICS. Use wine glasses for tasting, pouring in just a tablespoon or two. Through the glass you'll be able to see the varying colors, from almost brown to green to yellow. Some will look glossy, others muddy. Give each taster several glasses. If reusing glasses, clean and dry them thoroughly so the oils don't mix.

Give each taster paper and pen to record their thoughts. Alinat made forms to guide us that helped when we considered smell and taste. Though we knew the oils tasted and smelled differently we might not have connected green apple with the Pasolivo or wild flowers with Tenuta without Alinat's suggestions.

Have the tasters rank the olive oils so a winner can be named.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR. Alinat instructed us to look at color first. A green olive oil might indicate an earlier harvest; an amber tone a later one. Next, he said, smell the oil. Is the aroma intense or mild? Does it smell like grass? Like fruit? Is it nutty, like hazelnuts, for example? Or is it strongly olivey?

Last, taste the oil, sucking a bit of air to oxygenate the flavors. Is it mild or is there an intense kick? The supermarket brands we tried actually hurt our throats because they were so harsh.

Does the taste remind you of something particular: Bananas? Nuts? Grass? Artichokes? Ripe olives? You should be able to distinguish bold flavors such as delicate and mild, fruity and fragrant, olivey and peppery, or leafy green and grassy.

Alinat promised that if we paid attention to our senses we would be writing notes such as "Alziari extra-virgin oil. From France. Yellow rather than green color. Nice smell, full of citrus. Delicate flavor, rather mild, with hints of citrus, fruits and nuts. Would be great with tomato and mozzarella. I really like it."

We didn't get quite that detailed, but we all agreed that Alziari was the best of the lot. I detected a hint of caramel and apple, and the smell of freshly cut grass. The Spanish Organic L'Estornell came in second with its buttery smoothness.

Of the grocery store brands, we liked Pompeian.

WHAT TO EAT. Though oils are tasted plain, you'll want to serve food afterward. In keeping with the theme, I offered foods traditionally served with olive oil. We tore sturdy baguettes and ciabatta for dipping. Italian Caprese salad - fresh mozzarella, ribbons of basil and sliced tomatoes - was ready for drizzling. We boiled fresh pasta and ate it with just olive oil, coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. A bowl of baby greens was brought to life with sumptuous oil. We also nibbled on cheeses made from goat, sheep and cow's milk.

BUYING GUIDE. Greek and Italian markets carry a variety of olive oils as does the Fresh Market 25961 U.S.19, Clearwater; (727 669-6111 and 13147 N Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa; (813) 964-8001). Zingerman's can be accessed online or by calling toll-free 1-888-636-8162. Other sources include Silverado Vineyards, www.silveradovineyards.com or phone (707) 257-1770; www.igourmet.com or toll-free 1-877-446-8763; www.napastyle.com or toll-free 1-866-776-1600 and www.eusonya.com (no phone sales).

Janet K. Keeler can be reached at 727 893-8586 or krieta@sptimes.com

[Last modified February 22, 2005, 09:56:04]