Like pairing a fine dinner with the best and most complimentary wine, understanding and using the right olive oil is just as important in creating a memorable meal.

Before being able to choose the most appropriate and complimentary oil we need to understand what makes up the “flavor” of olive oil.

Since the beginning of olive oil there has been literally hundreds of adjectives used to describe the aroma, taste and mouth feel of olive oils.

Terms such as “grassy, green, buttery, fresh, floral, spicy, and tomato like” are just a few of the adjectives used. They are all descriptive of the total flavor of each oil.

We in the production side of olive oil as well as our taste experts and food critics while still dependent on subjective descriptions break down the flavors into just 3 components when we taste and rate olive oils. As you become more of an expert in tasting you will recognize these three characteristics.
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When we at Robbins Family Farm do oil and balsamic tastings we are always asked questions about our balsamic vinegars. Those who have never tried this wonderful product are amazed that it is “vinegar” given all their previous experience with the usual vinegar products.

Perhaps it should never have been named vinegar! While the typical kitchen vinegar be it wine, white, apple cider or any one of several flavored types is a fermentation product balsamic is not.

In 2005 when Patti and I worked harvest in Umbria Italy we could not pick olives when it rained. Instead we would visit local balsamic makers and get to taste their artful product. We were able to see and understand the process that creates this jewel of culinary art.

Balsamic vinegar is an evaporative condiment and unlike regular kitchen vinegar, not a fermentative one.

It starts with the skins of high sugar content white grapes most often Trebbiano and occasionally Lambrusco. The grapes are crushed and pressed but the wine is separated from the skins BEFORE fermentation starts. Unlike all other vinegars, balsamic DOES NOT come from wine.

The skins are called must and are then slowly cooked in large copper pots over a wood fire for up to 2 days which removes up to half of the remaining liquid in the must. After a period of cooling each maker adds some completed balsamic vinegar which maybe up to 25 years old that is called the “mother” or starter. This is similar in concept to the starter artisan bread makers use.

The mixture is then placed in large white oak used (up to 50 years old) barrels in a warm to hot area in the home if it is a small maker or heated space for large producers. This first barrel is part of a series of progressively smaller barrels, which is called the battery. Each region in which balsamic is produced has regulations as to how many (as a minimum) progressively smaller barrels the balsamic must be moved through and how many different woods the barrels need to be made from. The woods that can be cherry, chestnut, walnut, or other regional types add the nuanced flavors to the balsamic and its characteristic dark brown color and syrup like consistency.

White balsamic undergoes the same process but is “cooked” at a lower temperature for a shorter time to avoid the darkening that occurs during the extended cooking. It also goes through a battery using white wood barrels, mostly white oak and ash or is allowed to evaporate in stainless steel.

During this process the sugars undergo a change to alcohol that then turns into acid, which ultimately turns the must into vinegar.

To be certified as a quality balsamic the entire process from start to finish must be a minimum of twelve (12) years and in the case of all of our Robbins Family Farm balsamic vinegars a full eighteen (18) years.

Now that you know more about the balsamic vinegar story why not give one or all of our balsamic vinegars a try. Perhaps you want to start to work with this terrific product slowly. We recommend our traditional dark or traditional white. They are ultra high quality balsamic with that wonderful sweet ~ tart flavor that works so well with so many foods.

After attending one of the first COOC ~ California Olive Oil Council meetings for olive growers and oil makers we purchased 4 Italian tree varieties to start our orchard. The blended oil from these trees, Frantoio, Leccino, Maurino and Pendolino make our traditional “Tuscan Blend” a wonderfully robust and peppery oil.
In short order we decided to add more trees and our nurseryman, an old hand at making oil, suggested Ascolano as a great “blending” oil with other Tuscan varieties.
We tasted unblended Ascolano oil and immediately fell in love. When asked why more folks didn’t plant Ascolano for oil he told us it is the second lowest producer of oil per ton of olives than any other olive. It is not generally profitable as a single varietal oil but is cost effective when blended.
Blinded by our love for its flavor we continue to plant Ascolano including 4 more acres this past March 2011.
Ascolano olives have a very long history in the California industry. Because of its huge individual size fruit and very good crop size its first use was for canning olives. Unfortunately it has one severe problem; the skin is delicate and bruises VERY easily making its appearance unsuitable for canning .
For oil producers it has a major drawback. Its oil content is extremely low.
Where a ton of most other types of olives will produce from 45 to 70 gallons of oil, for us Ascolano rarely produces over 30 gallons! Harvest and milling costs are the same for almost all varietals so the low oil yield is a major drawback when planting Ascolano for oil production.

It is the aroma and flavor that keeps us planting and loving Ascolano oil.
Floral aroma and a delicate but complex flavor sets it apart from all other oils. It has a distinctive fruity flavor, more so than most all other oils but has a very muted peppery finish to enhance its intriguing flavor.
We’re hooked and hope you try some.

Thank you for coming to our website.  After nearly six years we have updated our website to make it easier and to add our new products.

We have decided to offer for sale some of Patti’s paintings most of them we have used for our labels.  Please click the enlarge button to see the entire image.

We will be using this blog to let you know about what is going on at the farm, information about our products and Patti will be adding cooking tips as well as some new recipes.

Feel free to add any tips on olive oil or balsamic or ANY cooking tips you wish to share.

We want to thank you again for your loyalty to us and our products over the last several years!

Patti and Robbie, Eric, Ari, Jesse and Eve