A Guide to Tasting Quality Olive Oil

Olive oil, we don’t pay it too much respect, do we? Or maybe not as much as it deserves. Being specific about the complexity of an ingredient, some might consider "just a salad dressing", might be too much to learn.

But what if I said that choosing a good bottle of olive oil is as pertinent as choosing a good bottle of wine? Suddenly, the prospect doesn’t appear so daunting, and you’ll learn to elevate your food from good to inspiring! Here’s a guide to help figure out what’s good, understanding the bottle, the grade, age, and how to taste.

What To Look For

Buying the Right Bottle

“They all look the same?”, you might think so, but there is more to it. When looking for a quality bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), like with wine, you start with the colour of the bottle.

Wine that comes in a clear or yellow bottle is white wine, and the dark or red bottle is… well, red wine. Olive oil should always be in a dark bottle. Generally, you’ll find olive oil in dark green glass bottles, however, these days olive oil is also available in tin and box containers, these are great as long as they keep the light out – this is key. Light essentially shortens the shelf life of EVOO and can cause a loss of antioxidants.

The Blend:

The right grape matters, merlot grape = merlot wine, cabernet grape = cabernet wine. Olives also come in a variety of cultivars, Mission, Coratina, Frantoio, Kalamata etc. (there are over 2000 varieties, no need to list them all). The majority of EVOO are made from a blend of cultivars. Some producers sell olive oil made from one distinct variety, but it is not common.

(Creating the best blend has become quite competitive with some producers using olive oil sommeliers to help create the best ratio)

The Grade:

The words EXTRA and VIRGIN olive oil matter! It has all to do with the way the oil was processed. Olive oil comes in a variety of grades; extra virgin, virgin, light, enriched and infused.

Olio Nuovo (young oil) is considered the highest quality extra virgin olive oil. The oil is unfiltered and made from green, unripe olives harvested in the winter season. This olive oil has a much more intense flavour, slightly more bitter, and contains more polyphenols and antioxidants. Olio Nuovo has a shelf life of four to six months which is why most farms don’t make a lot of it, meaning supply is limited and expensive. If you are lucky enough to find Olio Nuovo in South Africa, it can cost around R400 for a 500 ml bottle.

Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) is the highest quality and least processed oil readily available. The olives are cold-pressed and unrefined- this ensures maximum freshness. It’s the good stuff! 100% pure olive oil. Virgin Olive oil is treated the same as EVOO but is graded lower because of the overall quality of the oil and the number of antioxidants it contains.

Light, enriched, and infused oils are all refined oils. Light olive oil is not a lower calorie oil (I wish), it just means the oil was heat or chemically treated to remove unwanted flavour and odour. This results in an oil with fewer antioxidants but a longer shelf life and a higher smoke point. Sometimes this oil is blended with other oil such as vegetable and/or seed oils.

Enriched olive oil is olive oil that has had selected flavours and antioxidants reconstituted into the product. I would call it the “GMO-‘d” olive oil. Scientists making something natural – complicated.

Infused olive oil is, in a way, a less scientific version of enriched oil. The olive oil is heated with different spices and aromatics to achieve different flavour profiles like “garlic infused olive oil”. It’s great, but it is a commitment to buy. You know that once you buy garlic flavoured olive oil it is unlikely, you’d want that garlic flavour when you try that olive oil ice-cream recipe. My advice, if you want infused olive oil, use a virgin or extra virgin olive oil and infuse the oil yourself at home making only as much as you need.

The Date:

Unlike wine, oil does not get better with age, so when it comes to buying EVOO the fresher the better. Over time the oil will start to lose its flavour and it will begin to oxidize. The bottle should display the date of when the olives were pressed, or when the olives where harvested. Regulations stipulate that EVOO should be made from olives harvested within 12 hours before being pressed. Unrefined olive oil, like EVOO, has a shorter shelf life, 12- 18 months (closed) and should be used within two to three months from opening, odds are you will use it in that time. Refined olive oil has a shelf life of 18-24 months (closed) before it goes rancid.

A good way to test it is to give it a smell. If it smells like crayons or putty, it’s no good. My rule of thumb is to buy olive oil produced within the last 12 months and use it in the following 60 days- don’t worry, you will.

Tasting

Finally, we’ve got it! We read the label, checked the date (come to terms with slight difference in price) and we have our bottle! Now we taste, and again, it is similar to tasting wine, only that once you decide that you like it, you’re not going pour yourself a whole glass.

• Pour

The pro’s use a stemless dark blue wine glass, this allows them to judge the oil without seeing the colour, but a regular clear wine glass or cup will do fine.

Pour about two tablespoons of olive oil into the glass then cup your hand over the top to keep the aromas inside.

• Swirl

With your hand still over the top, swirl the glass to release the aromas from the oil as well as airing the oil to bring out more flavour.

• Smell

Remove your hand and take a whiff. You should pick up aromas like fresh cut grass, green apple, tomato leaf, butter, and other floral notes.

• Sip

By sip we mean slurp. Yes, it’s time to get weird and uncomfortable and to do what your parents told you not to do. Sipping olive oil is like sipping wine, we slurp it to incorporate more air, and to enhance the flavour. Move the oil around your mouth to coat the tongue and palate. Exhale through your nose and swallow.

A quality bottle of EVOO should be rather pungent, containing strong bitter and fruity flavours.

If it is at all sour/vinegary, metallic and musty, throw it away.

• Cleanse your palate

Some might encourage you to taste the oil with a piece of bread, apple or celery, which is fine, but it will dull the flavour slightly. Instead, have a piece of bread or a granny smith apple after you taste the oil on its own. This helps you cleanse your palate which is essential when doing multiple tastings.

• Note your findings!

This isn’t really necessary, but it is fun, especially when doing an olive oil tasting. Note what flavours stood out, what you liked and didn’t like.

• Store it and use it

Storage is key. As noted earlier, you should keep your olive oil somewhere dark and cool. I know it is tempting, when you find an attractive bottle of olive oil (like ours), to display it on your kitchen table but it isn’t great for the oil. The better you store it, the longer it will last. Store it but do not forget it.

Like with wine, quality olive oil can range in flavour depending on the olives used, the ripeness of the fruit, the climate of the farm that season, the soil, and even the overall biodiversity in the farm. These factors contribute to the level of polyphenols (the bitter taste) and other flavour profiles.

In short, Polyphenols are really good for you. They are organic compounds filled with different anti-s like anti-inflammatory and antioxidants. It is a major reason why unrefined olive oil is so good for you.

Polyphenols are also found in wine, the most common one being tannin which creates that dry sensation when drinking wine.

We hope we have inspired you to take a new approach to using your olive oil. Whether you are pan frying or trying a confit recipe, olive oil should be your oil of choice. Roasting a chicken? Many recipes may tell you to rub the skin with butter, but this has a higher chance or burning (low smoke point) especially when cooking bigger birds like turkey. Use olive oil instead of butter to avoid burning the skin. Olive oil can also help to achieve a crispier exterior.

Use in salads, pan frying, flavouring soups and sauces, confit, or drizzle over the meal before serving. Be brave and consider using it in a dessert! Using olive oil in your meals can be as common as using salt and pepper.

Olive oil has always been credited for its health benefits – and rightly so. Now it's time that people recognize the great flavour it can provide too.

Looking to get started on your olive oil tasting journey? Try our bottle of Wolfieskop Extra-virgin Olive to discover what quality oil taste like and compare it to the rest!