During the two days of the “Vicopisano Castle in Bloom” event – which saw hundreds of visitors from both nearby and distant locations – olive oil tasting workshops were held by ASCOE – Association of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tasters and Enthusiasts.
The workshops “The Flavors of the Mountain” were a valuable opportunity to better understand various types of oil, discovering the nuances of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
The Workshop
Licia Gambini and Domenico D “Alessio”, Vice-President and Head Panel of the Pisa Chamber of Commerce, guided attendees through a structured educational journey with a first informational section, dedicated to cultivation methods, oil production tools, and an overview of chemical processes during transformation phases, followed by a second sensory analysis session – visual, olfactory, and gustatory – during which 7 different types of commercial oil were tasted.
To avoid any kind of bias and ensure all participants could express the most objective opinion possible, all EVO oil bottles were stripped of their labels and covered to remain anonymous and perfectly identical to each other.
At the end of the tasting, the brands of the oils sampled were not revealed.
The Tastings
The tasting phase for each sample followed a sensory analysis method that first involves sight (color and intensity), then smell (bouquet and aromas), and finally taste (texture, flavor, and aromatic notes).
The different samples presented varied in color and transparency, from intense yellow to emerald green, including straw-colored shades, both opaque and brilliant.
However, as explained by the speakers, color is not a parameter among oil quality indicators, as it can vary based on different factors, primarily the type of olives used.
After an initial visual analysis, “the focus was placed on the fragrances that are detected by the nose.
From” the olfactory analysis, participants could intuit which samples were of superior quality: some had a neutral or no smell, while others released floral bouquets or marked herbaceous notes, tomato, or artichoke aromas.
The taste revealed clear differences between the various oils offered for tasting. Some had a dull and coarse flavor that stayed on the lips and tongue. Others stood out for their bitter or spicy notes with a balsamic sensation that participants described as variations of almond, apple, or chili.
The Notes
This session served as an introduction for those who want to approach the world of oil tasting and EVO oil taster courses, which represent the tool to deepen knowledge in sensory matters and capture its properties: more or less fruity, with light or intense aroma.
Thoroughly understanding an oil means grasping all its nuances and knowing how to best enhance it at the table, also based on the dishes it accompanies: a light oil for foods like fish, while a more structured one is excellent for meat.
The workshop pleasantly engaged the participants, many of whom were experiencing oil tasting for the first time, providing basic guidance on how to choose quality EVO oil, including proper reading of the label, which contains various information including the olive oil campaign: if not indicated, the bottle might contain oil from a previous year.
In the final analysis, the last word remains with the consumer’s tasting, because “our nose doesn’t lie”!
