Olive Oil Education

My education in olive oil all culminated from a conversation I had with a man who spent nearly two decades living in Italy. He was looking for a place in Fresno where he could get REAL olive oil! Like knock on the door of someone who has an olive tree in their yard real olive oil. Even though I use olive oil every day and in every meal, I was embarrassed to admit I've been buying just run of the mill, grocery store, olive oil! GASP!

Hang in there with me and at the end of this post, I'll share with you one of "those" knock on the door places. I mean, c'mon - it's Fresno - we have everything awesome here!

In the meantime, if you're like me, you know you love and use olive oil, but you may not know much about it. This prompted me to head down to We Olive. The gentleman behind the counter basically put me through the rigors of olive oil. We did a tasting that was just like wine tasting. As he explained to me the flavors, I was amazed at the differences! I was able to distinguish pepper and grass and more!

The difference between this fresh oil and that which I've been using was extreme!

Here's a little tidbit that he shared with me. Olive oil is one of the few things not regulated by the FDA. Olive oil from the grocery store may be as little as 20% pure olive oil and the rest could be other types! You can be sure I'm not going to do that again!

What's cool too is that you pay by the ounce. You can bring in your own container or purchase one of theirs. It's just a one time fee and then you can bring that bottle back next time. The one I chose is actually made at Fresno State, which pleased me too!

Point of this whole long post is this. Fresh is better. Pure is better. Local is better. Education is better. I received all of those from this experience and would highly recommend you do the same!

NOW, for those of you who are hardcore, let me share another tidbit. Apparently no one knows the name of this place, but it's pretty much a "Oh look they have olive trees, I wonder if they make their own oil?" I was told to just follow these directions :) (Sounds like the real deal to me)

Take Minnewawa to Copper
Left on Copper
Take an immediate right onto Auberry Rd
Within a 1/2 mile or less on the right hand side you will see a sign that says "Olive oil for sale" and there will be instructions on it. (Something about a house and where to knock or ring haha) If you get to the Eucalyptus grove before seeing the sign you've gone too far.

Now, if one of you actually goes there, LET ME KNOW!!

VINO 100 - An education and overall good time

This past Sunday I stopped by Vino 100. This place is just a few blocks from my house and everyone knows I LOVE WINE! It's a wonder I hadn't been yet!

Actually, I'll tell you why. As much as I love wine, I'm NOT AN EXPERT. I try to learn as much as I can, but this is one thing I just haven't mastered yet. I sort of feel like you're either a member of some secret Illuminati club with the code words and special movements or you sit in an alley way and drink your wine from a spigot out of a box.

Yeah, this review isn't going where I wanted it to! Hang in there, I have a point!!

Often times I don't go into wine specialty stores because I fear having to interact with wine experts. They can be wordy and condescending, and as much as I try to say and do the right thing, I feel like I come up short. Fortunately for me, I put those feelings aside and took a chance.

What a great store!

I was greeted by a nice younger man. He was knowledgeable about their products without one ounce of condescension. I stayed for nearly 20 minutes asking questions, sampling wines, and BUYING stuff!

I even got a cool new gadget. Since I only have one glass at a time, this leaves about 3/4 of the bottle open. After a couple days of being open and letting air into the bottle, things just aren't as great as when I 1st uncorked it. So, now I have the Vacu Vin Wine Pump Set which keeps wine fresh for up to 14 days! It's a hand-operated pump that extracts oxygen and creates a vacuum, which slows the deteriorization of your wine.

COOL!!

Vino 100 has wine clubs, daily tastings, and events all the time. I'm rallying the troops and SO WANT TO HANG OUT THERE! They've got this cute little tasting room in the back with barstools and a big flat screen TV.

Can you tell I'm thoroughly enamored with them? Check them out and tell me if you love them too!