Ever wondered what makes a good or bad olive oil and how show judges go about assessing its flavour and flaws?
Olives SA is offering a course at the Adelaide Showground this Saturday which will not only provide the answers, but also a chance to taste some of the state’s best extra virgin olive oil, including the fruits of this year’s harvest.
With the industry building up to the annual olive oil competition in October, the course is aimed at show judges seeking to refresh their palates and those interested in becoming judges, as well as foodies who simply want to learn more about the product.
“What we’re hoping is that people who come in with an interest will have that interest sparked and want to go on to become more involved and become part of the judging pool,” says Kent Hallett, who is on the Olives SA board and a member of the EVOO competition sub-committee.
The course will be taken by master olive oil blender Trudie Michels, who trained as an olive oil taster in the Extra Virgin Olive Oil Savantes and headed the blending team at olive oil producer Red Island. Participants will learn about different grades of olive oil, what makes a good oil, how to detect flaws, and how EVOO is judged.
“The main thing is that an oil should exhibit a fruitiness – a nice fresh fruit flavour,” Hallett says.
“It’s a bit like wine, so there will be subtleties within that – like perhaps a green tomato flavour or a banana flavour – but you need that fruitiness.
“And you need it to be balanced with a pepperiness and a bitterness. A good olive oil should have all those three characteristics in balance.”
Among the flaws which judges look for is a fusty, musty or winey taste.
Just like wine, the flavour of olive oil can be affected by the weather in a particular year. Other factors include the variety of olives and the soil in which they are grown.
It is difficult to modify the flavour after the fruit has been picked, which means producers must manage their groves well to have a chance at producing a potential gold-medal-winning oil.
Olives SA has around 220 olive oil producers among its members, and most are nearing the end of this year’s harvest now.
“Most people have been lucky in that we had rain at the right times and not many frosts,” Hallett says of the current season.
“It’s been a fairly warm, mild start to the winter, so the fruit has ripened up.
“The oils that I’ve been tasting this year have been fantastic, so it looks like being a really great year for producing top oil.”
If you can’t attend the course on Saturday (July 27) at the Royal Banqueting Room, Adelaide Showground, there will also be opportunities to learn more about South Australia’s olives and olive oils during the Royal Adelaide Show in September, with tastings plus cooking tips from chefs Rosa Matto and Carmen Vining.
Readers interested in booking a place on Saturday’s course, which runs from 10am-2.30pm, should contact Olives SA treasurer Michael Johnston, 0419 815 839.
