I decided to mix things up and add a food review, specifically an olive oil review.
Olives frequently grow well in regions where wine grapes also grow well. As such, I’ve taken part in a number of different olive oil tastings during my wine travels. I’ve learned a little bit about how to taste them and the nuanced characteristics to be found in olive oil. By no means am I an expert, but I sure am connoisseur and a little bit of a snob for good olive oil.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a restaurant where they bring out some olive oil for the bread and I’ve been disappointed in what they served. That’s a litmus test for me. If that olive oil is no good, it will taint my perspective on everything at that restaurant. Good food comes from good ingredients, and if I find out a restaurant is skimping on the olive oil it’ll make me question everything else.
While I don’t recommend drinking olive oil, like you would wine, when participating in a true olive oil tasting you do slurp some oil. The slurp draws in a lot of air with it, which helps bring out the aromatics.
Some olive oils are more grassy than others, some are more fruity and some are more spicy. None of those three things means an oil is good or bad, they are just characteristics that help define the style of olive oil. This particular one is more on the grassy side, with some fruitiness.
Different types of olives are used in different olive oils. This one is made mostly with a Portuguese olive variety called Cobrançosa, but also has some Arbequina. This is an extra virgin olive oil, meaning it is the highest quality and comes from the first pressing of the olives, with only mechanical (i.e., no chemical) processes.
The name, Olival dos Arrifes, is a reference to the name of the olive grove this comes from: Arrifes. It’s a organically-farmed olive grove in Alentejo, Portugal, owned by Herdade do Esporão. This is one of several oils they produce and is named after the grove because it’s intended to be a terroir-driven olive oil — meaning all the olives used come from one location and the resulting product can vary from year to year, depending on the conditions.
The aromas are mostly fresh cut grass with some tomato and other fruit fragrances. The palate is also grassy and slightly fruity, with a touch of bitterness and without much spiciness. It is nicely balanced. This is the type of oil I would recommend for salads, bread or drizzling over pasta.
Producer: Herdade do Esporão
Product: Olival dos Arrifes
Olive varieties: Arbequina, Cobrançosa
Vintage: 2018
Region: Alentejo, Portugal
Rating: 87
Average price: $18.00 / 500ml
Disclosure: This olive oil was received as a media sample.
