LEAFY GREEN AND GRASSY
www. oliveoilclub. com inq@classicalwines.com Uniquely made, “Aceite de lagrima,” or “Tears of the olive,” is the stone-crushed unpressed “flowering” juice of Manzanilla and Cornicabra olives, grown in the province of Murcia in the high, remote Valle La Jimena. Limited production. This is a full-flavored olive-fruity and pungent oil, great to dress strong-flavored greens, to drizzle on bean soups, to wake up grilled vegetables.
LEAFY GREEN AND GRASSY www. rogersintl. com
One of the great olive oils of Spain, available in glass or ceramic bottles as well as large tins. This is an oil that has been blended to create great subtlety and elan. Unfiltered, “flower of the oil” extraction method.
Columela $ FRUITY AND FRAGRANT
www. zingerm ans. com Made from Picual and Hojiblanca olives, this oil is unfiltered and is described as “true cold extraction”—the oil is extracted with frictionless stainless steel blades (the Sinolea system). It has great depth of flavor and a warm finish.
TASTING NOTES
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DELICATE AND MILD
inq@classicalwines.com Unfiltered, marked with a well-dated label, with a maximum of 0.1% acidity, this outstanding oil was described as “sweetly green, like hay would taste.” Complex flavors, unctuous texture. Made in Mallorca from Arbequina olives.
FRUITY AND FRAGRANT
inq@classicalwines.com Unfiltered with a maximum acidity of 0.1%. Made from Arbequina olives grown in Girona, this oil has notes of hay, artichokes, and apple, and was described as “sweet grass with a little pepper.”
A nice dark bottle helps to preserve oil, and the label is well dated.
DELICATE AND MILD
Corti Bros. (916/736-3800)
Made from Hojiblanca, Picual, Ocal, and Arbequina olives in Cordoba, this oil is pleasingly bitter, “really nice and mild,” with a rounded flavor and “nice texture.”
L/Estornal Organic OLIVE-Y AND PEPPERY
De Medici Imports (845/631-4400)
The organic version of Arbequina olive oil, this version has a nice pungency and an aroma of almonds.
L'Estornell OLIVE-Y AND PEPPERY
De Medici Imports (845/651-4400)
Very peppery finish in this single-variety Arbequina oil. Acidity is 0.5%.
Mas Portell Organic OLIVE-Y AND PEPPERY
www.olivemerchant.com Organic, intensely gold in color, this special oil has a good mouth-feel and a peppery finish. Nice body—a great all-purpose oil.
DELICATE AND MILD
www.svtea.com
Sweet, light, delicate, and soft
LEAFY GREEN AND GRASSY
O&Co. stores www.oliviersandco.com Grapefruit, almond, and bay leaf flavors with a peppery finish. Made by the Cooperative Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, this DOC oil is a great example of a quintessential Andalusian blended olive oil; it’s made from Picado, Hojiblanca, Picudo, and Lecchin olives.
FRUITY AND FRAGRANT
www.casaponsusa.com Made from Arbequina olives, stone-crushed, unfiltered. From the Garrigues region of Catalonia, in northern Spain, this vibrant yellow-gold oil has pungency along with a little sweetness and a hint of vegetal/herbal notes. “Just lovely,” said one taster.
Pons Extra Virgin DELICATE AND MILD
www.casaponsusa.com
Made from Arbequina olives, stone-crushed.
Nice delicate olive flavor.
Spectrum Naturals Organic Olive Oil Arbequina DELICATE AND MILD www. spectrum. com
Available also in natural foods stores, this is the fullest-tasting of the Spectrum Naturals line of oils. We found the others to be nearly flavorless, but we loved this Arbequina version. It’s nutty, mild, and delicate, with an intense yellow color.
TeresaArroja FRUITY AND FRAGRANT
www. zingermans. com A beautiful unfiltered, organic, artisanal oil that’s made from Manzanilla Cacerena olives. It’s fruity and aromatic. The attractive clear glass bottle offers no protection to the precious oil within.
UnioSiurana$ OUVE-Y AND peppery
Darien Cheese (203/655-4344)
One of the greatest values in goad olive oil; try to buy this oil in the tin rather than the clear glass bottle, as one of our samples in glass was oxidized (one tip-off to oxidation was the pronounced banana flavor; the other was the pale brown color). This is a fruity oil with a nutty aroma. It’s got a mild flavor and a soft peppery finish. Made from Arbequina olives in a cooperative production.
Ybarra$ DELICATE and mild www.tienda.com
Mild, sweet, and slightly fruity with a pleasing bitter finish, this oil was characterized as “nice and light” and “well made.”