The autumn edition of the Revino Bucharest 2024 Cheese and Wine Festival took place this past weekend, and one of the highlights was an olive oil masterclass – a short journey through the universe of this elixir, guided by international expert Luis Rubio, professor at the Olive Oil School of Valencia. The tasting featured six types of olive oils and offered a great opportunity to discover the secrets of a good olive oil and what to look for when choosing one.
Since there’s always more to learn about taste, my wishlist often includes not only books or films but also events, courses, and specializations I’d love to attend one day. Among them are several olive oil courses, a subject I became passionate about after studying Mediterranean habits and traditions. So, I was thrilled to discover this masterclass and enjoyed it as I would a classic Italian appetizer – dipping a piece of bread into olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and basil at the start of a meal.
As I mentioned, the tasting lineup consisted of six olive oils: picual and arbequina – two Spanish varieties, koroneiki – a Greek variety, supermarket extra virgin olive oil, refined oil, and lampante olive oil. The last three were included mainly to highlight the contrast with high-quality extra virgin olive oils, a distinction that was easy to spot, and to explain the olive oil production process.
SO, WHAT IS OLIVE OIL?
Extra virgin olive oil is the highest quality olive oil, obtained exclusively through cold pressing using mechanical means, without any chemical processes. It’s the kind of oil that any taste enthusiast will love, with its intense aromas, vibrant color, and low acidity.
Virgin olive oil is one step below extra virgin but still suitable for consumption, though its quality is lower.
Lampante oil, however, is of the lowest quality. It’s an inedible oil, unpleasant in both smell and taste, and was historically used as lamp oil (hence the name "lampante").
From this lampante oil, after its defects are removed through chemical processes and filtration, refined oil is produced. In other words, lampante oil, which is unpleasant and inedible in its raw state, is refined to become consumable.
However, the product that results from these chemical processes is neutral, without any smell or taste. This product is then mixed with a smaller amount of extra virgin olive oil to give it a more pleasant flavor and is bottled as refined olive oil. Refined olive oil is NOT a natural product.
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL – QUALITIES AND DEFECTS
There are certain conditions that must be met and standards that must be achieved for olive oil to be classified as extra virgin. First and foremost is the freshness of the raw material: most high-quality extra virgin olive oil is made from green olives, known as early harvest (before they change color to purple or black). Additionally, it is crucial that the olives are transported to the mill immediately after being harvested and processed at low temperatures. Therefore, the production process must be carefully controlled, as failing to meet these criteria will result in quality defects during organoleptic testing.
While high-quality extra virgin olive oil will predominantly have fruity notes and, in some cases, spicy or slightly bitter notes (which personally remind me of arugula), defective extra virgin olive oil can taste stale or even moldy if the olives were stored for too long before being processed. If they are stored under poor conditions, the oil can develop sour, metallic, or muddy flavors. Moreover, if the resulting oil is exposed to sunlight and undergoes oxidation, it can develop a rancid taste.
HOW DO WE STORE HIGH-QUALITY OLIVE OIL?
The advice from the expert with 20 years of experience in tasting and evaluating olive oil was simple: first of all, it should be stored in a dark place, at a medium (around 20°C/68°F) or low temperature (if we’re traveling, we can even keep it in the fridge). We must remember to always put the cap back on after using it and – the most important advice of all – it shouldn’t be stored for too long. Unlike wine, which gets better with time, extra virgin olive oil actually works the opposite way!
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