Pour about a tablespoon of oil in a round bottomed glass.
Look:
Different types of Olive Oil will have different colours.
Green means the olives were picked young. Light yellow means that the olives were a bit older/riper when they were harvested.
You can normally assume what the taste will be like from the colour of the olive oil. A green olive oil is usually aromatic and bitter. Whereas a light yellow will have a milder taste.
Side Note – the colour of oil has nothing to do with the quality of oil
Smell:
With your one hand, cover the top of your glass and with your second hand, heat the oil by holding the round bottomed glass. When you lift your hand from the top of the glass you should be able to smell things like a newly-cut lawn, fresh and green, dry hay, raw nuts, vegetables.
Legs:
Yes! Olive Oil has legs too. Swirl the oil around the glass and watch how it runs back down.
Taste:
Next, take a sip of the oil. Like when tasting a good wine, swirl the oil inside your mouth. Make sure you get it under the tongue and around your mouth. You should taste the freshly cut grass and a peppery/pungency after taste.
If the olive oil has an unpleasant sweetness or tastes like wine, then it is off/rancid.
Dip:
All good tastings involve some sort of food.
Cut up an apple and eat a piece. Take some freshly baked, plain bread and dip it into the olive oil next. Eat your dipped bread and then eat another slice of apple. Repeat the process and then think about the flavours you are tasting.
In this scenario, the apple neutralizes the taste in your mouth and helps to break down the oil barrier.
Keen on doing an Oil Tasting? Click here to download our Tasting Score Card.
Balsamic Bruschetta
Topping Ingredients 8 Roman Tomatoes, Diced ⅓ Cup Chopped Fresh Basil ¼ Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese 2 Cloves Garlic, Minced 1 Tablespoon Wilson’s Balsamic Vinegar
Pickled Fish
Pickled Fish Ingredients 2 tablespoons Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil 5 large onions, cut into thin rings 1 x 3cm piece fresh ginger, grated
Spanakopita
Spanakopita Ingredients 450g Frozen Chopped Spinach, Thawed and Well-drained 2 Bunches Flat-leaf Parsley, Stems Trimmed, Finely Chopped 1 Large Yellow Onion, Finely Chopped 2
Chicken Broccoli Bake
Chicken Broccoli Bake Ingredients 1 tablespoon Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 cup small yellow onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 500g, boneless, skinless
Roasted Olive Dip
Roasted Olive Dip Ingredients: Roasted Olives ¼ cup of pitted whole black olives ¼ cup of pitted whole green olives ¼ cup Wilson’s
Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
Ingredients: • 2 eggs• 1 banana (ripe with spots on the skin)• 1/4 cup maple syrup• 2 tablespoons Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil• 1 teaspoon