We have noticed that many in the olive oil world, are using the new 'buzz word', ULTRA PREMIUM. What does it really mean? This might seem a little deep, but well worth a read.
The IOC, The International Olive Council, have the most slack of all chemistry standards in the world. Oils that just meet their specifications, pass the basic of of tests. Their tests do not include DAGS or PPP's which are an integral part the chemistry analysis.
Most commercial Olive Oils, are soft column refined, which strip them of not only bad flavors and smells, but nutrients. Sad really, when Olive Oil is a fruit juice, and the expectation should be fresh, tasty and nutritious.
Ultra Premium, should indicate Extra Virgin Olive OIls, that not only far exceed the IOC standards, but go a step beyond the more rigorous, and highly respected COC (California Olive Council) and AOC's (Australia Olive Council) standards.
We are the only suppliers of Ultra Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil in eastern Canada.
Check out the links
http://www.upoliveoil.com/organoleptic-requirements/default.html
http://www.upoliveoil.com/chemistry-requirements/default.html
Who can we trust? Disappointed yet again, in those who should know better.
Knowing what to look for on a bottle of olive oil should not be complicated. We have recently had yet another very vague label come to our
attention. There are names that we should be able to trust, in the
world of 'good, fresh, gourmet', etc, and we want to honor those who
offer an honest product. It is a challenge.
Our job is to not
only to provide fresh, high quality products, but to help customers
understand what to look for when they are not able to pick up a bottle
of Liquid Gold EVOO. We know that a 'best before date' only indicates a
2 year timeline from when the product was bottled, not crushed. It can
sit for an unknown length of time, sometimes a year or more, before it
is shipped to the bottling destination. If the product is not a regular
commercial brand, there are certain expectations. The crush date should
be voluntary, if not mandatory on the label, or at least a lot number. We recently found
one with neither of these, nor a best before date!! With nothing on the
label to indicate any of this necessary information, who's to know if it is the latest season's crush, last, or worse, the year before. Some grocers mix them up, so how the heck do they even know!?
Before you pay for the bottle you pick off the shelf of your trusted grocer, look for something that will give you a clue about when the olives where crushed. If you can not find the information you deserve to know, then bring it to the attention of the manager, or owner of the store. Keep in mind, if an olive has been picked, and crushed within 4 to 6 hours, kept out of high heat, light, and air, it can have a fairly long shelf life.
We at Liquid Gold specialize in Pure, Fresh, Extra Virgin Olive Oils, high quality flavored Olive Oils, and lovely Balsamic Vinegars. That is our focus.
How the heck does one choose? We currently have 15 pure cultivars to choose from. In lay man's language, liken it to going in to a wine boutique, or coffee/Barista, and trying to choose one or two.
Cultivars are types of olives, and yes, they are all different. With more than 750+ known and cataloged cultivars, it can be overwhelming, and sometimes intimidating. This we understand. I go into a wine specialty store like Bishops, Harvest, or Premium, and have no problem asking the staff for recommendations. Knowledgeable staff are happy to help me make my choice. I have no understanding, however, of what to ask for in a coffee Barista, but know what I like. I buy, like and dislike, and discuss with my husband what I think are specific characteristics, about the beans we have purchased. We still don't know what to buy, if I do not remember what we have tried before. This is where experienced, knowledgeable staff come in handy, not to mention customer purchase tracking. If you are in our system, we can track what you have purchased in the past, and when we change seasons and cultivars, we can make recommendations based on what you like. Challenge your pallate, challenge our staff. We are up for it.
From this 
To this 
We now have available beautiful oils from Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Tunisia as well as our Californians. Ten in total from the Med, plus three from California. That is a lot of fresh oil!
From this To this
We now have available beautiful oils from Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Tunisia as well as our Californians. Ten in total from the Med, plus three from California. That is a lot of fresh oil!
* By definition, any olive oil that has had seed oil or olive pomace oil added to it isn’t extra virgin. Most adulterated oils typically have relatively low percentages of non-olive oils in them, as the greater the dilution with seed oil, the easier the fraud is to detect. Clever fraudsters will just add enough ‘other stuff’ so as to just make it difficult for authorities to definitively say that “yes this oil is fraudulent” without having to resort to expensive sophisticated testing and lengthy court cases. An adulterated olive oil that contains 90% extra virgin olive oil and 10% canola oil will still have a high level of monounsaturated fat* and will therefore solidify at fridge temperature. Next to the authentic EVOO, it will look exactly the same.
If you visit a Tasting Bar, and come across a claim like the one
below (or sometimes labelled "Starred" to imply it is aged), be very
careful to ask for the ingredients list. Many White Balsamic Condimento,
are thickened with guar gum, corn flour, Xanthan gum, and loaded with
added sugar. White Balsamics do not age well!!
"White Balsamics
(Aged to 15 years of age from hand peeled white grapes)
Premium White Aged 15 years "
When in doubt, go to the those who know. We asked the producers of both authentic Consortium Balsamc and Condimento producers at Acetum of Modena Italy, some questions regarding the 'truth in aging White Balsamic.
Q. White balsamic condimento is not solera aged? A."Correct, normally we don’t follow the solera system for the white balsamic condiment"
Q. It is a blend of Trebianno grape must and white wine vinegar. A. "Yes. It’s just the combination of Trebbiano grape must and white wine vinegar (this too from Trebbiano Grapes).
Q. It is aged only briefly, in either white oak or stainless steel, usually not more than 5 years. A. "Correct. In fact, if you age it, like the regular balsamic, in wooden barrels, the product tends to discolor, hence, there is only a minimum aging in stainless steel and/or white oak new wooden barrels only. It’s a delicate product, much like a white wine.
Q. The must is
reduced over a higher heat, more rapidly to avoid the colour transfer
that comes with the "caramelizing" process of dark product.
A. "Correct. While on regular balsamic, there is always cooked must (cook
over slow fire for a long period), in White Balsamic, the must is only
concentrate (under vacuum conditions) so to preserve the color and the
delicate flavor of white grapes. There is additional filtration and
separation (before the cooking) from the grape skins, which otherwise
will impart color (much like wine).
Aceteum comments further
"Unfortunately, the North America Market is full of false and misleading statements....It’s sad that still today people are presenting the product (after so many years) in a wrong way. It would be like saying, I buy Carlo Rossi Jug Wine because it’s 15 years old.
Further point of sadness is that – unfortunately – since there are no standard of identity for Balsamic Vinegar in North America, there is almost nothing we can do about it...The only way is to keep educating our clients about what’s valid and what’s not.
In this case is not difficult since it’s easy to understand that if you age a white product (such as white wine) in an old barrel for 15 Years the product cannot possibly came out white."Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases and more …
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