California’s winemakers looked to countries such as France, Italy, and Spain for the grapes they now grow here and crush into wine. Chardonnay, as you may know, is the white grape of France’s famed Burgundy region. California’s extra virgin olive oil industry is much the same. We use olives that hail originally from Spain and Greece and are now grown and crushed here.

I’ve been writing about our olive varietals, starting with the Spanish Arbequina olive. Next up: Arbosana, another Spanish varietal we grow and crush into EVOO.

We have some 10,000 acres of olive trees under cultivation in northern California. They produce three olive varietals: Arbequina and Arbosana, both from Spain, and Koroneiki, from Greece. Last week I focused on Arbequina, our No. 1 varietal. It accounts for about 70% of our olives.

Arbosana is our No. 2 olive, representing about 20% of the olives we harvest using a system known as “super high-density” (SHD) planting. Arbosana also happens to be the second largest olive varietal grown in California. A recent report from the Olive Center at the University of California, Davis, finds that Arbosana accounts for 16% percent of California’s SHD acreage, or 1,688 acres.

Like Arbequina, the Arbosana tree is small in stature. Similarly, the Arbosana tree is a workhorse, producing large numbers of olives.

Our Arbequina and Arbosana EVOOs also happen to be the two single varietal oils we produce. Our Miller’s Blend, by contrast, combines our Arbequina and Arbosana EVOOs.

How do the Arbequina and Arbosana olives differ?

“The Arbosana variety has fruit that looks very much like Arbequina, but matures about three weeks later,” writes olive oil expert Paul Vossen, farm adviser for the University of California Cooperative Extension in Sonoma County.

Arbosana also yields a more “robust” oil than Arbequina, which produces a “delicate” EVOO. In particular, Arbosana tastes more peppery, or pungent. The olive also delivers a higher level of polyphenols – the chemical substances found in plants that may cut the risk of heart disease and cancer.

And the taste? Arbosana delivers hints of green tomato, almond, and green banana.

Olive oil expert and cookbook author Fran Gage recommends serving robust oils such as Arbosana brushed atop bruschetta, in Spanish romesco sauce, and with all things chocolate. We’ve baked chocolate  madeleines using our Arbosana EVOO, substituting the olive oil for butter. They were phenomenal.

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch

Think of extra virgin olive oil like wine. That’s what we sometimes tell people when we talk about the different extra virgin olive oils we produce. Just like different wines are made from different grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Sauvignon Blanc, different olive oils are made from different olives. Each olive varietal has its own flavor profile and personality, just like wine grapes.

Hundreds of varieties of olives are grown around the globe. We grow three varietals in California: Arbequina, Arbosana, and Koroneiki. We use the olives to produce single varietal oils — namely our Arbequina and Arbosana EVOOs — as well as blended oils like Miller’s Bend.

I’ll focus on the Arbequina olive here and look at Arbosana and Koroneiki in future posts.

We have some 10,000 acres of olive trees under cultivation across northern California, from Fresno north to Corning. Arbequina is our No. 1 olive. It represents 70% of the olives we harvest using a system known as “super high-density” (SHD) planting.

The Arbequina olive hails from Catalonia, in Spain. It has become a favorite among growers here in the Golden state. A recent report from the Olive Center at the University of California, Davis, found that Arbequina accounts for 78% percent of California’s SHD acreage, or 9,400 acres.

The Arbequina tree is relatively small. It has weeping branches. The oval-shaped olives the tree produces are small, too. The olive resists frost well. It ripens relatively early versus other varietals.

In Europe, you can sometimes find an Arbequina olive tree put in a pot and placed at the front entrance of cafés.

Our Arbequina EVOO is a “delicate” oil that delivers a lot of fruit aroma, balanced pungency, and a very pleasing clean taste. In particular, we find it tastes of ripe tropical fruits, apple, and fresh artichoke.

Our Arbequina EVOO won raves from Cook’s Illustrated for the oil’s “fresh, sweet, fruity flavor and pleasing hint of bitterness.”

Different olive oils, like different wines, pair well with particular foods. Arbequina goes well drizzled over meats to bring out the meat’s sweetness. It also goes well with “strong” pestos such as one made from wild arugula and dishes that use blue cheese. Arbequina makes a delicious ice cream, too.

We recommend using Arbequina for baking, particularly when substituting olive oil for butter. Try it in pound cake. You won’t be disappointed.

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch

I’ve been asked the question, “What exactly is a drizzle of olive oil?” Our friends in the culinary world have offered up a variety of responses. I’ve since come across another intriguing measurement for olive oil: a “glug.” The term seems to owe its use to British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who uses it in his recipes.

At 34, Oliver has climbed to the top of the cooking world. He’s a TV star, operates restaurants, has his own magazine, and has penned a number of cookbooks. His recipes contain amusing directions, being at times detailed and other times vague.

“Trim and wash a large leek, remove the outer leaves, then slice it into 0.5cm/¼ inch pieces,” he writes for his roasted chicken breast with pancetta, leeks and thyme.

“Add these to the bowl with the leaves of a few sprigs of fresh thyme, a good glug of olive oil, small knob of butter, a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and a small swig of white wine and toss together.”

More examples:

• His recipe for oven-baked rigatoni with wild boar salami calls for “a good glug of olive oil.”
• The grilled or roasted monkfish with black olive sauce and lemon mash specifies “a couple of glugs of extra virgin olive oil.”
• And the crispy tortillas with guacamole says “3 glugs of extra virgin olive oil.”

So how much is a glug? “A glug is, um, a glug,” replied Oliver’s spokesman Peter Berry. “There’s no real ‘definition,’ as such but everyone knows what a glug is.”

Uh, okay.

We did, however, find a explanation of sorts on the forums section at Oliver’s web site.

“When you pour olive oil from the bottle it will usually come with little interruptions when air goes back into the bottle. The result is a sort of  glug, glug, glug … sound,” wrote a fan identifying herself by the moniker SusanneH. “One of those is as much as you need” for a glug.

SusanneH went on to explain “the exact amount is not so important and may depend a bit on your personal taste. So if you use roughly 1-2 tablespoons you should be fine.”

We tried to define a glug ourselves the other night while making a variation of garlicky spaghetti with Olio Nuovo (we substituted Arbosana for the Olio Nuovo.) The recipe called for about three-eighths of a cup of olive oil, providing us with the opportunity to measure how many glugs went into it. We lost count after about 20 of them.

We turned our attention to twirling and slurping the pasta.

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch

A friend recently asked: “Claude, you work for an extra virgin olive oil company. What exactly does it mean when a recipe calls for ‘a drizzle of olive oil?’” Being the salesman that I am, I wanted to say it’s about equal to one of our five-gallon containers. But unless you want to take a bath in EVOO (and you might), that’s probably a bit excessive.

So how much olive oil is in a “drizzle?”

I plugged the phrase into Internet search engines. Here’s what I got back: images of glass cruets dubbed olive oil “drizzlers,” recipes using the term, and an amusing newspaper article about a couple who like to bring a “flask” of olive oil to restaurants so they can drizzle it covertly on food they order.

I turned to friends in the food world – namely chefs and cookbook authors – and asked them what a drizzle involved.

“I think of it as a very fine stream applied from a bottle that is passed quickly over the finished dish. If the bottle doesn’t have a pouring spout, covering half of the bottle opening with a thumb will allow the correct amount to flow.” Fran Gage, author of “The New American Olive Oil: Profiles of Artisan Producers and 75 Recipes.” Her recipes have been featured here.

“A drizzle changes depending on what I’m drizzling on. Fish needs just a light finishing. Tomatoes need a good splash. Here’s what to consider: Is the olive oil filling a supporting role, or is it an equal player?” Trey Foshee, chef at Georges at the Cove in La Jolla, Calif. His recipes have been featured here.

“It’s the finishing touch that dresses up a dish at the last minute. It usually consists of a teaspoon or two, and goes together with a sprinkling of some fresh chopped herbs, and possibly a squeeze of lemon or lime juice (or a wedge of one or the other placed on the plate).” Steve Johnson, chef-owner of the Rendezvous in Central Square in Cambridge, Mass. His halibut recipe has been featured here.

OK, so not everyone agrees on an exact definition. What’s yours?

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch