Three days of intense Olive Oil tastings and classes led me to understand how much more I need to learn.  Two days at UC Davis gave me chemistry and health information on Olive Oil and then some serious sipping and swirling of Olive Oil. Some quick overviews of things that I’ve learned:

- the greener the olive the more polyphenols the olive oil will have (this is the good antioxidant stuff)
- the more polyphenols the more astringent the olive oil
- more important than where the olives were grown is how ripe they were when they were picked
- yes the varietal counts too but many growers believe that the ripeness is the most important factor
- the color of the olive oil is NOT a sign of quality
- California Olive Oils have beaten Italian and Spanish Olive Oils in international competitions
- Australia produces a large amount of Olive Oil
- the United States does NOT adhere to international standards for Olive Oil  therefore the term Extra Virgin means nothing in the US
- the term cold press means nothing because NOTHING is hot pressed
- the tasting wheel for Olive Oil is far more complicated than the ones for wine

More details coming in Olive Oil Olive Oil 2