Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Liquid Gold - Olave Olive Oil

Once in a while, The Liquid Muse finds free-flowing inspiration from a non-alcoholic source…

Today's is one such entry.

I was first introduced to Olave at a media dinner, in Washington DC, at The Oceanaire Seafood Room. Executive Chef Rob Klink partnered with renowned Chilean Chef Pilar Rodriguez to create an extraordinary menu of Chilean seafood specialties in celebration of "The Month of the Sea," a national Chilean holiday, celebrated in May.

It was an honor to dine in the company of Chile’s Ambassador to the US, Andrés Bianchi, his stunning wife, Lily Urdinola, and several other embassy representatives. The dinner was exquisite. Each sumptuous course was paired with an superb Chilean wine (several of which will be featured, here, in weeks to come…!)

And, an unexpected surprise… atop every table was a bottle of the most flavorful olive oil I’ve ever tasted! I may have noted mild differences in one brand of oil or another, but I have never been knocked over by the taste of any – until Olave.

Boasting a climate similar to that of the Mediterranean – coastal yet dry – Olave’s olive trees, originally imported from Italy, Spain and Greece, thrive in the sun-drenched valley they now inhabit, about 50 miles west of Santiago. The same conditions lend themselves to Chile’s respected wine industry.

Being in the Southern hemisphere, Chile provides fresh oil with its May harvest, when the European season ends. The Extra Virgin, cold-pressed oil is organically farmed (no pesticides, hormones, etc.) and bottled at the Chilean estate where it is grown.

Olave has already won awards in Chile, Italy and the US. It is available for purchase at Whole Foods, Dean & Deluca, Balducci’s and other specialty gourmet stores.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This stuff is like liquid gold.