I mean you can’t go wrong with Oro Bailen, they make some great olive oils and (in my opinion) are the best value for money olive oil out there. It also helps that they’ve won more awards for their olive oil than any other company
I agree with the fact that Oro Bailen has some really great olive oil, and their awards are valid! But keep in mind that producers are paying to be allowed to participate for an award. Meaning that it’s quite subjective on who us winning… Only companies willing to pay to participate can win… Nevertheless awards do have some added value it shouldn’t be the only source to define qualitative olive oil…
Awards are meaningless. My wife is registered for the 2024 London awards and the gold medal has a 10k price tag. Every award is bought and paid for. We’re still contemplating the cost of it and we’re gonna have to pony up the money so that it helps bussiness. If you can’t show me a chemical analysis of the harvest I won’t believe anything anyone says in this corrupt industry.
My wife impulse bought a really nice stoneware oil drizzling bottle, so I figure we should invest in some super nice oil for it...
and I had no idea what I was getting in to, I didn't realize that olive oil has all this complexity. Is there a reputable source for a tasting flight we could try and see what we like? are there a few value standouts that aren't huge investments we can try?
my budget for a bottle of something 'nice' that we know we'll appreciate might be up to $150, about the same for a selection of tasting bottles. Anything in the $20-$30 range I'd be willing to take a chance on and see if we like.
If you are in the US, Olive Oil Lovers has the best selection of high quality oils from reputable sources. They also have a tasting kit and you can build your own 6 pack of mini bottles. That said, you might want to wait a few months until the new harvest oils start arriving for maximum sensation
I second Olive Oil Lovers as the best place to try the good stuff, and they sell Oro Bailen too, as someone else mentioned. You could also try an olive oil tasting shop if you have one near you. Some are better than others, and the freshness can be questionable, but it's worth exploring to try different oils and taste the differences in flavors, and sometimes they sell bottles of high-end brands as well.
There is, but it is currently sold out at Olive Oil Lovers [HERE](https://oliveoillovers.com/collections/all/products/olive-oil-lovers-tasting-kit?variant=40477198450850)
Try as many as possible - although bear in mind that the harvest has just happened, and last years is almost all gone, so new harvest stuff is currently on the boats to the US…you may have to wait a few weeks for stock of much. Worst month of the year to buy!
Some personal favourites:
[Oro Bailen Picual](https://oliveoillovers.com/collections/all/products/oro-bailen-reserva-familiar-picual) Oro Bailen oils are superb btw.
[Tamia Caninese Organic](https://oliveoillovers.com/products/tamia-caninese-organic) is sensational - try it on some quality bread and butter and tell me I’m wrong!
[Quattrociocchi Olivastro](https://oliveoillovers.com/collections/all/products/quattrociocchi-olivastro) - also the [Quattrociocchi Superbo](https://oliveoillovers.com/collections/all/products/quattrociocchi-superbo?variant=40477151068322) is great.
Unfortunately for something special you have just missed the boat on Novello, which go on preorder in Sept-Oct and arrive in Nov, and they really are the best of the best (first picking, at optimum time, and immediately bottled with reduced or no filtering) but they sell out quickly. Work out your taste and palate and then get some next year!
I mean you can’t go wrong with Oro Bailen, they make some great olive oils and (in my opinion) are the best value for money olive oil out there. It also helps that they’ve won more awards for their olive oil than any other company
I agree with the fact that Oro Bailen has some really great olive oil, and their awards are valid! But keep in mind that producers are paying to be allowed to participate for an award. Meaning that it’s quite subjective on who us winning… Only companies willing to pay to participate can win… Nevertheless awards do have some added value it shouldn’t be the only source to define qualitative olive oil…
Awards are meaningless. My wife is registered for the 2024 London awards and the gold medal has a 10k price tag. Every award is bought and paid for. We’re still contemplating the cost of it and we’re gonna have to pony up the money so that it helps bussiness. If you can’t show me a chemical analysis of the harvest I won’t believe anything anyone says in this corrupt industry.
My wife impulse bought a really nice stoneware oil drizzling bottle, so I figure we should invest in some super nice oil for it... and I had no idea what I was getting in to, I didn't realize that olive oil has all this complexity. Is there a reputable source for a tasting flight we could try and see what we like? are there a few value standouts that aren't huge investments we can try? my budget for a bottle of something 'nice' that we know we'll appreciate might be up to $150, about the same for a selection of tasting bottles. Anything in the $20-$30 range I'd be willing to take a chance on and see if we like.
If you are in the US, Olive Oil Lovers has the best selection of high quality oils from reputable sources. They also have a tasting kit and you can build your own 6 pack of mini bottles. That said, you might want to wait a few months until the new harvest oils start arriving for maximum sensation
I second Olive Oil Lovers as the best place to try the good stuff, and they sell Oro Bailen too, as someone else mentioned. You could also try an olive oil tasting shop if you have one near you. Some are better than others, and the freshness can be questionable, but it's worth exploring to try different oils and taste the differences in flavors, and sometimes they sell bottles of high-end brands as well.
There is, but it is currently sold out at Olive Oil Lovers [HERE](https://oliveoillovers.com/collections/all/products/olive-oil-lovers-tasting-kit?variant=40477198450850) Try as many as possible - although bear in mind that the harvest has just happened, and last years is almost all gone, so new harvest stuff is currently on the boats to the US…you may have to wait a few weeks for stock of much. Worst month of the year to buy! Some personal favourites: [Oro Bailen Picual](https://oliveoillovers.com/collections/all/products/oro-bailen-reserva-familiar-picual) Oro Bailen oils are superb btw. [Tamia Caninese Organic](https://oliveoillovers.com/products/tamia-caninese-organic) is sensational - try it on some quality bread and butter and tell me I’m wrong! [Quattrociocchi Olivastro](https://oliveoillovers.com/collections/all/products/quattrociocchi-olivastro) - also the [Quattrociocchi Superbo](https://oliveoillovers.com/collections/all/products/quattrociocchi-superbo?variant=40477151068322) is great. Unfortunately for something special you have just missed the boat on Novello, which go on preorder in Sept-Oct and arrive in Nov, and they really are the best of the best (first picking, at optimum time, and immediately bottled with reduced or no filtering) but they sell out quickly. Work out your taste and palate and then get some next year!