Table Talk - Outstanding Spanish Olive Oil & Vinegar

Table Talk by Art of the Table
August 11, 2011

spanish olive oils we love

Neus

This is a gem of an oil made from a gem of an olive varietal or "cultivar" neus entitled Arbequina. These olives, which are high in oil content and deliciously round, fruity and flavorful are handpicked & cold pressed in order to maintain flavor and purity, after all the word "neus" in Catalan, Spain means snow, attesting to this oil's purity.

So what does this oil have that others do not?

It smells of fresh olives and has a hint of almond. The family wants to maintain a high quality and therefore it's very round, buttery and smooth.

$24 for 350mL

antara bottle Antara

When I visited Spain a few years back, one of the places we visited was an olive oil producer that is a co-op. Olive oil farmers from the region have banded together to create this beautiful oil (only $16 for 500mL) made of 100% Arbequina olives. They are very particular about the high quality of their oil and therefore use only the best and have a state-of-the-art mill. This is important in the final product's pedigree. This oil has been really well respected in the food world for being both inexpensive and extremely tasty! Wielding a deep olive nose, this oil is very round in the mouth with a hint of roasted almond on the finish. We like it when you take our word for it but...we have a bottle open, stop in and ask for a taste anytime!

Oro Bailen

This is not just another olive oil. That's why Oro Bailen 100% Piqual i s extremely interesting, with extremely high quality.

It starts with the deep green, vibrant look in the bottle. It's huge with big olive flavor and yet it's fruity. The family that produces Oro Bailen lives & grows in an orchard location which allows them to be a little less weather dependent, as it is somewhat a cooler climate.

These things combined with their superior production standards yield a consistently outstanding product. Honestly, this stuff tastes like olive juice. And another nice thing? It's got a really long shelf life! This oil hails from an importer that is so particular, it's really almost not funny!

spanish vinegars we love

La Masia Sherry Vinegar

True sherry vinegar can only be produced from Palamino Fino grapes in Jerez, Spain. To make this vinegar, the La Masia family uses the best and first pressed sherry wines. Using patience, they wait for their vinegar to age in oak barrels and it produces this complex, elegantly wooded mouth of flavor.

La Masia Balsamic Rioja Vinegar

With wine from the Rioja region of Spain, and with the barrel aging in the balsamic tradition, this sweet and full-bodied vinegar that is in every way balsamic but that it's not from Modena, Italy (where a true balsamic is from).

Both vinegar selections are only $10.50 a bottle - a steal, really - and are worth using on your next salad or drizzled onto your pork or chicken or made into a sauce.

did you know?

...that we also carry Spanish tuna (amazingly different from the tuna you know and probably don't really love all that much?) AND paella rice, saffron - and even paella pans!

...that many of our olive oils and vinegars are open

and ready for you to taste? Over half of our selections are at your beck & call to be sampled any day, any time. Please ask us!