UC Davis Awarded IOC Accreditation
– by Caroline J. Beck, Editor
With reports coming in that the 2010-2011 harvest year is expected to result in the largest volume of U.S.-grown olive oil yet, it was welcome news in December that the UC Davis Olive Oil Taste Panel was awarded accreditation from the IOC, making the panel the second IOC-accredited group of its kind in North America, following Canada’s CFIA lab in Quebec. It joins 47 panels around the world to support internationally-recognized standards for olive oil quality. While the UC Davis Taste Panel accreditation did not come as a surprise, it is another strong indicator that olive oil production in the U.S. is rapidly catching up to its international counterparts – both in volume and quality. Read more >>
Balsamic Vinegar: Part I
– by Antoinette Addison
Are you curious why you can find balsamic vinegar for $6 at the grocery store or a hefty $300 in specialty stores? Price discrepancies this wide usually indicate real differences in product. But, when it comes to balsamic vinegar, understanding those differences Read more >>
Albert Katz, A Lifetime of Passion
– as told to Caroline J. Beck
The growing popularity of the California olive oil industry has been supported by many pioneers over the past two decades. People who drove the business from a backyard endeavor to the burgeoning success it is today. There are many to thank for this journey, but one who exemplifies the passion and persistence it has taken to bring us this far is certainly Albert Katz. Read more >>
Host Your Own Olive Oil Tasting Party … the Italian Way
– by Carol Firenze, The Passionate Olive
Olive harvest season is finally coming to a close and what better way to celebrate than with your own olive oil tasting party! I just returned from my Olive Harvest Adventure in Umbria, where we picked olives and followed them to the frantoio (mill) to watch them being Read more >>
