Path to the Olive Oil
Everyone has heard of wine tasting? But have you heard of olive oil tasting? Probably not, for I only found out about it a week or so before this day. But let me tell you about it, and why it is the tasting you actually need.
There was not enough sleep in the world to help recover the events of yesterday. Everyone had fully depleted all their batteries after all the craziness the previous day, but life had to go on.
After a slow start this morning, with breakfast and more sharing of the previous day’s experience, I had to bid my Norwegian friends goodbye. They were checking out today and going on with their trip, and I had to go on with mine. Boy do I hate these good-byes. But we had a stronger bond - a memory which we shared, which only a handful of people in the world did.
A few conversations later, I got ready and took the train over to Maipu. Maipu is a small region outside the city of Mendoza, full of vineyards where I would do my olive oil tour. The ride took about 30 minutes, after which I headed to the tourist office which guided me towards the bike rental shop.
What most people who come here do is rent a bike and ride between the different vineyards. While almost all do wine, I instead was about to do olive oil, which was kind of exciting. I got some tips from my parents before I started, since they knew more about olive oil than I did, especially my dad. He told me about some of the tricks I could use to know if the oil is good or not, and what I should be looking for in the flavour of the oil.
I rented the bike from WINE AND RIDE, who helped me plan out the route, as well as pre-purchase entry and some of the tours. It was a really convenient option, especially as it gave me a timeline of where I should be at what point, and they even pre-arranged my lunch at a vineyard, and provided me a digital map with my route through WhatsApp which was I could load up on GoogleMaps. The latter was probably one of the best things!
I soon set off on my bike ride, and it was a rather quiet day in the town. Perhaps I was expecting it to be busier, or to see more bikers along the road, but it was the opposite. There were a few shops open here and there, but not much more. The town was beautiful though - it was a clear and sunny day, with a slight breeze in the air, and trees lining up the road. Buildings and trees turned into vineyards and fields as I got out of the town, and my sun-loving self embraced the direct sunshine.
My first stop was at Baco & Friends, a wine shop where I was supposed to be able to get a glass of grape juice. However, I was disappointed when they told me they did not have any and was instead given the option of water, which I did not mind considering the warm day. I got back on my bike and kept going along my route.
My next stop was at Olivicola Maguay, an olive oil factory. The guy at the bike shop told me that it may be closed this time of the year and did not offer me a tour here, but advised that I could still check it out on my own which I did. To my luck, it was open, and there was a tour group about to begin the tasting part of their tour. The attendant was kind enough to let me join the tasting, and I began my first olive oil tasting. The only caveat was that it was in Spanish, although there was an American couple who helped translate a few things. We began with a tasting of a variety of olives, which was then followed by a few different olive oils that they had available. I asked a few questions about the processes, and learned that some oils were from unique species of olives while others were from a mixed group. I also learned that the classification of olive oil, with the best being extra virgin, is based on the acidity of the oil. Extra version usually means and acidity of less than 0.8%, and this acidity affects the flavour and toxins within the oil. Lower grade oils may have toxins which can only be removed using chemical processes, degrading the flavour and the quality of the oil!
I tasted a few oils, each with a different flavour profile and after-kick to it, all based on the olives used to produce them. There were some which were super smooth and had a more subtle earthy flavour, and stronger ones which had a complex flavour although came with a little bit of a burn. Such an interesting world!
I did not end up buying anything, since I had a few more locations ahead of me and wanted to get a tasting before I would make my selection. I thanked the attendant for the tasting, as well as the couple for the translation, and was back on my way again.
My next stop was the Cecchin family vineyard, where I was supposed to taste some more olive oil. I arrived there and was the only one, and after parking my bike, a lovely attendant came out of the building and greeted me. She guided me through to the vineyard, where I was able to sit in the shade of a beautiful tree in the surroundings of the rows of grapes. I found myself in an interesting situation, as they did not really do much around olive oil here, although I embraced the tour and learned about the farming process of grapes and the journey into producing wine. What was most interesting was the organic farming process, which I did not know much about until it was explained to me. The whole idea of avoiding the use of artificial pesticides is to do it naturally, which here was done by planting different types of plants. At the vineyard, they had identified the different pests available, with respect to their season, and planted different trees, flowers, and herbs to fight them off. Higher trees were planted for the local parrots so they did not interfere, and peach trees were grown to provide them alternative food to the grapes. Other plants were used to identify a bug which would usually attack the crop, and other herbs and plants were used to fend them off as well as attract other bugs which would prey on them. It was really interesting to learn about this process, and it definitely opened my eyes to the natural practices and the complexity of chemical-free farming.
After the tour, I got the chance to walk through the vineyards, before I was taken inside to learn more about the fermentation process. I did not take too much interest in it, although it was cool to see all the different containers used. I was offered a glass of a grape juice they produced here, which was delicious and refreshing although sweet. The attendant told me that they produced this in small batches and did not sell it outside, so I decided to grab a bottle to enjoy at a later time. They did have an olive oil, although only one, so I passed on that and headed off to my next stop.
It was now nearing lunch time, and next stop along my route would be the Las Guapas Bodega and Restaurant. Set in a vineyard, with an outdoor shaded terrace surrounded by greenery, it was a beautiful lunch spot and I did not regret having pre-booked it. I had a very peaceful meal due to the setting outside, which started with a cartelized online focaccia, followed by a chicken and beef skewer with couscous, and concluded with an apricot, berry, walnut and cream dessert. The meal was very fresh, which complimented the surroundings I was in, and provided me the energy I would need to continue my ride.
I got back on the bike and headed back towards the bike shop, although I still had a few stops left. My next stop was the one I was most excited for - Laur Olivicola. This family owned olive oil farm and factory was recognized worldwide, having won the best olive oil award for 2022. I was the only one here on my arrival, which meant that I would have a private tour of the grounds and factory.
The first stop was the Balsamic Vinegar warehouse, which I was simply surprised by the presence of. I was told that this is one of its kind in South America, and I feel like it may be one of a few that are outside of Italy. I had never heard of Balsamic Vinegar being produced outside of Modena, Italy, so it was nice to learn about the production and ageing process here.
The attendant then guided me over to the field, where he showed me the different types of olives they use in their products, before taking me through the production process.
As a Palestinian, perhaps I should know more about how olive oil is produced but that is unfortunately not the case. The attendant explained to me the old process, and then showed me the newer machinery used in the current method of producing the oil, from picking to bottling. It was nice to finally learn about how it was used, and he also let me know that the time the olives are picked also affects the acidity of the oils. He explained to me the different grades in further detail, which I mentioned above, and then he brought me back to the shop to begin my tasting. There were four different olive oils and two balsamic which I could try, and I was served olives, bread, and some pastes to enjoy in-between my tasting before I was left to further explore on my own. I was able to recognize the different flavours and smoothness of each oil, and ended up buying a few bottles of both olive oil and balsamic vinegar to take back home as well as presents for Renata and Ulises.
I thanked the attendant for the tour and then got back on my bike. I ran into some people who were arriving here for the tour, so was happy that I was able to experience everything privately.
The weather was starting to turn grey at this point, as it was late afternoon which usually coincided with the thunderstorms. I still had two more stops and was a few kilometres outside the town, so wasted no time pedaling towards my next stop.
I arrived at Pasrai Olivicola, another olive oil factory in Maipu. The experience here was very similar to Laur, at least in terms of the history and production tour. It was also a group here, and the place was more or less busy. The tasting I have to say was disappointing, since they only seemed to produce one olive oil here, and their specialty was then producing different infusions with herbs, fruits, and vegetables. I did enjoy an orange infused olive oil, as I had never tried it before, although I was overall disappointed by the lack of availability of different pure olive oils. If it were up to me, I would skip this place next time as Laur and Maguay were significantly better!
I finished the tour and biked over to Il Mercato, my last stop, which was an indoor food hall. Part of my bike booking granted me a tasting of some ice cream and alfajores, which were small taster size although the perfect snack at this point. I enjoyed them quickly before continuing my ride back to the shop. The route back a little interesting, since it was more through the main street of the town. It was early evening at this point, around 5 or 6 pm, and life was starting to come back after the previous day’s events. I reached the bike shop, where I thanked them for planning everything for me, and then headed over to the train station.
Back at the hostel, I laid down in bed for a while before deciding that i was hungry yet not in a mood to really go out. Charlie and the others working helped me order an empanada and some flan for takeout, which was more than enough to satisfy my hunger. I picked up the food and was appreciative to see that the street which was full of parties the night before had calmed down and was much cleaner than the previous night - big thank you to the city cleaning staff over here, as it was seriously trashed the night before. Life was back to normal it seemed which was nice to see - this would not have been the case in Buenos Aires where I learned it was still busy and the excitement still going.
I enjoyed my light meal back at the hostel, where I told Bianca about my day as she had been interested in my plans in the morning. I chilled around for a bit before heading upstairs to pack my bag as I was leaving the next morning, and then settling down in bed to catch some sleep.
This was definitely one of the coolest experiences I had done thus far, as I got the chance to learn a lot during my self guided tours. From organic production to olive oil pressing, it was nice to do something more educational and cultural. Have you done something similar before? Do you have any interest in olive oil? Let me know in the comments below, but till then, stay positive!
