Tasting Notes
Olive oil tasting should be limited to 3 or 4 samples to avoid palate confusion. Taste from the mild to the intense. Between each sample the palate needs to be cleansed with a slice of apple. Have the oil at about 28 degrees (hand warmed) in a glass container with a lid to hold the aromas in until you are ready to take that first inhalation of no longer than 30 seconds.
Use that first sniff to detect the fruity aromas and ensure the negative attributes of Winey, Fusty, Musty or Rancid are not present. Then take in about a teaspoonful, roll it around the mouth cavity and suck air in through your clenched teeth. This is called aspiration. Note the initial and middle palates. Swallow and wait for the delayed final taste, often a degree of pepperiness or pungency.The positive attributes of extra virgin olive oil are;
Olive Fruitiness, which may also include vegetal flavours of clover/grass, apples, vegetables, herbs, nuts, tomatoes, bananas, melons, citrus
Bitterness, which is transient on the middle palate
Pungency, which is the peppery sensation, often delayed, at the back of the throat.
These positive attributes should be present in a balanced harmony. Remember that some oils are very powerful, almost overwhelming when tasted alone, but marry perfectly with strongly flavoured foods. And conversely delicate oils are perfect with salads and milder food flavours. As the Spanish gastronome Alicia Rios Ivars said of olive oil, “Each oil is like a landscape, they will be more or less pleasing to different people, and to the same person at different times.
”Where great wines grow, so too do great olive oils.
The same cool climate conditions that made New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc famous
(think Cloudy Bay), and the local terroir that makes Wairarapa Pinot Noir world famous, do the same for our Harewood Estate extra virgin olive oil. At Harewood Estate we selectively pick, carefully handle and immediately press our fruit to ensure premium fruit will produce premium oil!
Our oils will vary slightly from year to year depending on the climatic conditions of that particular season.Harewood Estate offers you a carefully balanced blend of the Italian varieties Leccino, Frantoio and Pendolino. This harmonious oil gives a fruity nose with the taste of rocket, cut grass, green apples and tomatoes finishing with a pleasant lingering pungency.
The clear flavour of the single variety Koroneki imparts strong olive fruitiness overlayed with clover, apple, citrus and a medium pungency. To ensure these positive attributes of Harewood Estate remain, we present our premium extra virgin olive oil in dark bottles and recommend storage in a cool dark place and use within two years.
