What to look for: "Olio Nuovo"

It's that time of year again, when ambitious olive oil makers put out small batches of their earliest presses of the olive fruit and call it "olio nuovo" -- literally "new oil" in Italian. Such oil is usually extremely tasty and vibrant, a celebration of the annual harvest. But it also typically doesn't keep long because it tends to be less filtered, and contains more sediment.

So, while your average extra virgin olive oil bottle can keep well for about two years under the right conditions, some makers recommend a bottle of "olio nuovo" is meant to be consumed -- joyously -- in about three to six months because the added olive sediment in the bottle makes it more perishable.

Last year, I had the pleasure to taste and write about two fabulous "olio nuovos" from two California producers, one small (Jovia Groves) and one large (California Olive Ranch). I'm looking for more olio nuovos to write about this year, so if you're a producer, shoot me a sample at the following address: Costas The Greek, PO Box 33217, Baltimore, MD 21218.

In the meantime, I'd like to start compiling a list of worldwide producers who offer annual selections of "olio nuovos." Feel free to leave links in the comments below. I need your help in building the list as a resource for olive oil lovers the world over!

Hit the jump for my own short list of what I've found so far:

The Olio Nuovo List:

* Reader Arnold Ambiel tipped us off to Casa di Case's annual "olio nuovo" love-fest, celebrating the arrival of the oil from Italy's Umbria region. The San Francisco importers have a big release party for the oil on Dec. 7th. They offer ordering through their Website.

* Stonehouse Olive Oil Co., of California, also offers an "olio nuovo" thru their Website, reader Arnold A. noted.

* Pasolivo, an award-winning producer in Central California, is offering pre-orders of its "olio nuovo" in time for the winter holidays. Check out its website.

* Looking for organic "olio nuovo"? Check out LocalHarvest.org, where they're selling Katz's "December's new oil."


(ILoveOliveOilBlog needs your help! Know of a good "olio nuovo"? Tip us off in the comment section below.)

Olives in hat

olives in Hat
Originally uploaded by Rene, Palestine Girl

A bunch of great new photos were added to the olive oil Flickr group, including the one above. Hope you check them out!

Big News: Connecticut First In United States to Adopt Extra Virgin Olive Oil Standards

We learned today the tiny state of Connecticut, in the northeastern United States, is apparently the first place in the country to adopt an olive oil standard that seeks to limit adulterated (or unpure) olive oil.

A Norwalk, Conn., importer complained about olive oil that was being marketed as "extra virgin," but was really far from pure. State officials ran tests on the oil and found it contained other oils.

“The Department of Consumer Protection has found instances in which olive oil being sold in Connecticut was actually a mixture of soy oil with some low-grade olive pomace oil,” according to Consumer Protection Commissioner Jerry Farrell, Jr. “The switch was not discernable by way of sight or taste, but only through chemical testing. Since many state residents are severely allergic to certain types of nuts or soybeans, an unknown exposure could prove fatal.”

The law will allow them to go after, and punish, olive oil maker/importers who mislabel a product as "extra virgin," when it really also contains other kinds of cheaper, potentially harmful olive oil. Especially for people who suffer from nut allergies.

It's interesting that the federal government has been slow-footed on this issue, and states are starting to take it up as a cause. Connecticut officials said that California will be the next state, early next year, to adopt stronger measures on "EVOO" labelling. It appears the state is adopting the International Olive Council's definitions of extra virgin, virgin and pomace oils. (Which is a start. Some in the industry say those standards aren't high enough anymore.)

Still this is great, important news coming out of Connecticut, which doesn't even have its own olive oil industry! Most consumers probably won't appreciate how important this is for the future of an important food staple in this country. Sadly, it is difficult to find well-written and researched news articles about this news coming out of Connecticut.

The most facts came out of a press release posted here. Learn more at Connecticut's consumer protection website.

UPDATE: Just spotted this good story from the International Herald Tribune.

Virtual Olive Oil Tasting over at ILoveOliveOil.ning.com?

Most of us may have to travel a good distance to be a part of a fancy-schmancy olive oil tasting. But thanks to the Web, we can get the benefit of tasting and sharing our thoughts about an olive oil without having to leave our kitchens or dining rooms. (Which maybe isn't such a bad option in these rough economic times!)

I'm kicking around the idea of using Twitter to host a "virtual" olive oil tastings over on my companion site, ILoveOliveOil.ning.com. Basically, we'd all agree on a time and a bottle of olive oil to taste, and give ourselves an hour or so to run the bottle through its paces.

My hope is that maybe we can get an occasional guest expert to moderate the virtual tasting. (I don't claim to be a know it all!)

Whatcha think? Would you participate? Have any recommendations for a good, relatively easy to find bottle of olive oil for us to try? How would you do it and what would you be interested about the most?

P.S. Follow me via twitter at "twitter.com/iloveoliveoil." Seeya!

Costas

Olive Oil of the Month Clubs

Have you started thinking yet about holiday gifts for the foodies among your friends and relatives?

My wife and I have tried a good wine of the month club, but we haven't yet ventured to try any "of the month clubs" that specialize in olive oil. What follows is a list of such clubs I compiled based on my own research.

Hold on a sec, though: I'm not personally recommending any of these clubs, yet, because I've never ordered from them. Instead, I'm hoping that readers who have tried these clubs will leave a note in the comments to let us know what they thought of the club. Or, if you know of a club that should be mentioned, please add in the comments, too.

As a consumer, a few tips to look for when gifting olive oil through a club: 1) figure out the size of the bottles that will be gifted -- if you're paying about $23 to $25/month for one 250 mL bottle, that's a lot of $$$!!!; 2) try to figure out the brands of the oil that will be included in your gift; 3) ask how old the oils are, and 4) ask if the oils are straight olive oil, or flavored, i.e. infused with garlic or basil. (Of course, if you love one type of olive oil from a farm you visited in California or Italy, for instance, why not just ship that one to your friends and family?)

But if you want variety and want to go the club route, here are some "olive oil of the month" clubs I found, in alphabetical order:

* Amazing Clubs. 3, 6, 12 month gift packages. Or once a quarter. Starting: $23.95/month.

* Amazon.com. 3, 6, 12 month or seasonal gift packages. Starting: $74.85/3 months.

* iGourmet. 3, 6, 12 month gift packages. Starting: $89.99/3 months. (Note: Each month's olive oil selection is previewed on the site.)

* Month Club Store. 3, 6, 9, or 12 month gift packages. Starting: $74.99/3 months.

* Olive Oils Direct. $25/month. (Note: Website says it'll ship a "regular size" bottle each month -- ummm, what's that mean?)

* Overstock.com. 3, 6, 9, 12 month or seasonal gift packages. Starting: $99/3 months.

* The Flying Noodle. 3, 6, 12 month or seasonal gift packages. Starting: $23.95/month.

* Zingerman's. Not monthly, but sent in "installments." Starting: $150 for two installments of two oils each, plus dipping dish and artisan bread. (Note: It's billed as a "Rare Olive Oil Club" and it is pricey.)

Have you tried any of these clubs and liked them? Or wouldn't recommend them? Leave us a note below. Or please tip us off to a club that's not listed here. (For this list, we're looking for clubs that expose consumers to different olive oil brands each month.) Thanks!

Are you in an olive oil club?

Have you ever joined a "wine of the month" club? Or a cake of the month? Or any other "of