The Passionate Olive (25 page)

Olive Oil Usage Guidelines

FIND YOUR FAVORITE OLIVE OIL

I AM OFTEN ASKED
about my favorite olive oils, and each time I hesitate because … first of all I must ask: “For what use?” Is it for drizzling on food or cooking? For around the house? For massaging your partner or the dog? I generally use extra virgin olive oil for most everything; however, check the following charts, Suggested Types of Olive Oil for 100 Uses and Suggested Types of Olive Oil for Cooking, and, using your own judgment, you will discover what is best for you.

The next question is: What is your favorite extra virgin olive oil? I answer that one’s preference in olive oil is really a matter of personal taste. I know people who buy
only
one specific brand of extra virgin olive oil; I am more experimental in my approach. I belong to several olive oil clubs and receive different imported estate olive oils and olive oils from California each month. I also buy olive oil from producers and retailers that I know and trust. My favorite tends to be a high-intensity extra virgin olive oil, in terms of fruitiness, bitterness, and pungency.

Some Guidelines for Buying Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1. Always check for a producing country’s seal of authenticity—for example, the
COOC
from California;
DOP
from Italy;
AOC
from France;
DOP
from Greece;
DO
from Spain.

2. Check the “use by” date.

3. Check for the winners of olive oil competitions—for example, the worldwide competition, hosted each year at the Los Angeles County Fair. These oils will have additional seals, signifying Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals on the bottles.

My Best Advice

Ask the official tasters at olive oil competitions (by checking the award results online), or quiz your trusted retailer. Then, after experimenting and tasting, ask yourself … what do you personally like?

SUGGESTED TYPES OF OLIVE OIL FOR 100 USES

SUGGESTED TYPES OF OLIVE OIL FOR COOKING

Olive Oil Retail Resources

SPECIALTY STORES FOR OLIVE OIL AND OLIVE OIL PRODUCTS

The following list includes a selection of specialty stores that I have visited in the United States for olive oil and products. Please let me know of the names and addresses of specialty stores where you find olive oil and olive oil products. You can e-mail me at
[email protected]
.

Corti Brothers

5180 Folsom Boulevard
Sacramento, CA 95819
Tel: 916-736-3800
Fax: 916-736-3807

Dean & DeLuca

Check website for store
locations
Tel: 800-221-7714
Fax: 800-781-4050
www.dean-deluca.com

Katz and Company

101 South Coombs, Y-3
Napa, CA 94559
Tel: 800-676-7176
Fax: 707-254-1846
www.katzandco.com

L’Occitane

Check website for store
locations
Tel: 888-623-2880
www.loccitane.com

L’Olivier

526 Broadway
Sonoma, CA 95476
Tel: 707-938-0300
Fax: 707-938-1281
www.lolivier-sonoma.com

Olive You by Norma Kamali

11 West 56th Street
New York, NY 10019
Tel: 887-BAR-XV08
www.barxv.com

Oliviers & Co
.

Check website for store
locations
Tel: 877-828-6620
www.oliviersandco.com

Viansa Winery & Italian Marketplace

25200 Arnold Drive
Sonoma, CA 95476
Tel: 707-935-4700
Fax: 707-996-4632
www.viansa.com

Whole Foods Market

Check website for store
locations
Tel: 512-477-4455
www.wholefoodsmarket.com

Williams-Sonoma

Check website for store
locations
Tel: 800-541-2233
www.williams-sonoma.com

Zabar’s

2245 Broadway (at 80th Street)
New York, NY 10024
Tel: 212-787-2000
Fax: 212-580-4477
www.zabars.com

Zingerman’s

422 Detroit Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Tel: 888-636-8162
www.zingermans.com

OLIVE OIL MILLS AND PRODUCERS IN CALIFORNIA

The following list includes a selection of the olive oil mills and producers in California. For a complete list visit
www.cooc.com
.

Apollo Olive Oil

P.O. Box 1054
Oregon House, CA 95962
Tel: 530-692-2314
Fax: 530-692-0840
www.apollooliveoil.com

B. R. Cohn Olive Oil Co
.

15000 Sonoma Highway
Glen Ellen, CA 95442
Tel: 707-933-9675
Fax: 707-938-4585
www.brcohn.com

California Olive Ranch

2675 Lone Tree Road
Oroville, CA 95965
Tel: 530-846-8000
Fax: 530-846-8003
www.californiaoliveranch.com

Calolea Olive Oil

11343 Choctaw Trail
Loma Rica, CA 95901
Tel: 530-749-1240
www.calolea.com

Chalk Hill Clematis

P.O. Box 1847
Healdsburg, CA 95448
Tel: 707-433-8416
Fax: 707-433-8963
www.chalkhillclematis.com

Frantoio Ristorante & Olive Oil Co

152 Shoreline Highway
Mill Valley, CA 94941
Tel: 415-289-5777
Fax: 415-289-5775
www.frantoio.com

Le Colline di Santa Cruz

535 Valencia Road
Aptos, CA 95003
Tel: 831-662-2345
Fax: 831-475-9157
www.santacruzolive.com

McEvoy Ranch

5935 Red Hill Road
Petaluma, CA 94952
Tel: 707-778-2307
Fax: 707-778-0128
www.mcevoyranch.com

Olivas de Oro Olive Company

P.O. Box 320518
Los Gatos, CA 95032
Tel: 408-353-1229
Fax: 408-353-1529
www.olivasdeoro.com

Pietra Santa

10034 Cienega Road
Hollister, CA 95023
Tel: 831-636-1991
Fax: 831-636-1929
www.pietrasantawinery.com

Round Pond

877 Rutherford Crossroad
Rutherford, CA 94573
Tel: 877-963-9364
Fax: 707-763-7544
www.roundpond.com

Stella Cadente Olive Oil Company

P.O. Box 160
Boonville, CA 95415
Tel: 707-895-2848
Fax: 707-895-9556
www.stellacadente.com

The Olive Press

14301 Arnold Drive
Glen Ellen, CA 95442
Tel: 800-965-4839
Fax: 707-939-8999
www.theolivepress.com

Willow Creek Olive Ranch

8530 Vineyard Drive
Paso Robles, CA 93446
Tel: 805-227-0186
Fax: 805-237-9181
www.willowcreekoliveranch.com

OLIVE OIL FROM ITALY, SPAIN, GREECE, AND FRANCE
^*

The following list includes some olive oil brands that I know and like from different regions in Italy, Spain, Greece, and France. Please let me know of the names of olive oils that you like. You can e-mail me at
[email protected]
.

Italy

Abruzzo

Olio di San Martirio

Calabria

L’Aspromontano

Lazio

Merlano

Silvi Sabina Sapori

Liguri

Ardoino

Isnardi Roi

Le Due Baie

Marché

Petrini

Molise

Colavita

Louianna

Puglia

Masseries di Santeramo

Sardinia

Ottidoro

Sicil

Ravida

Fontanasalsa

Tuscany

Badia a Coltibuono

Badia al Guardo

Laudemio (various producers)

VR Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Volpaia

Umbria

Mancianti

Monini

Sinoleum

Spain

Andalusia

Caroliva

Columela

Molino De Leoncio Gomez

Nuñez de Prado Solero Romero

Catalonia

Antara

Gasull

L’Estornell

Pons

Unio

Castilla-La Mancha

Zoe

Greece

Peloponnesus

Lykovouno

Crete

Psillakis Biojoy

Sitia

France

Alziari Olive Oil

Chateau Virant

Moulin Saint Michel

Oliviers & Co. (various producers)

*
For other brands and for olive oil from Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, and other olive oil-producing countries, check the specialty stores listed on
this page–
this page
or the selected websites (
this page–
this page
).

Annotated Selected Websites

Awards/Education/Events

http://lacountyfair.com

Check the annual Olive Oil of the World awards; since the competition is associated with the Wine of the World awards, add to the web address a forward slash (/), the word (wine), and the annual date you wish to check, e.g., 2004. The website will read as the following example:
http://lacountyfair.com/wine2004
.