Well Oiled

By / Magazine / July 8th, 2009 / 1

Settled by Scottish stonemasons in the 1800s, the picturesque village of Elora, about an hour-and-a-half drive northwest of Toronto, is famous for its spectacular gorge, artisanal boutiques, restaurants and one of the few five-story grist mills still standing in Ontario. For gourmands, there’s The Village Olive Grove, a relatively new addition to the main drag. Specializing in estate-grown (and in many cases, organic) extra virgin olive oil and exotic vinegars, the shop carries flavours for all palates and budgets.

“Our inspiration came from where wine knowledge was twenty or thirty years ago when there was limited selection but many tasting events to educate consumers,” reveals The Village Olive Grove’s David Medeiros. “We believed that if we provided the same opportunity where people could try different extra virgin olive oils from different countries they would gain knowledge and feel comfortable buying a great extra virgin olive oil.”

True to his word, every oil and vinegar in the store is available for tasting including such stellar EVOOs as the buttery, herbal, vaguely tropical Castillo de Canena “First Day of Harvest” from Spain, the hard-to-find, fruity and intense Pasolivo from California and the green and peppery Il Palagio from the Tuscan estate of Gordon Sumner (aka Sting).

Visit www.thevillageolivegrove.com for more information, and stay tuned to Tidings for an upcoming story on Spain’s olive oil revolution.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tod Stewart is the contributing editor at Quench. He's an award-winning Toronto-based wine/spirits/food/travel/lifestyle writer with over 35 years industry experience. He has contributed to newspapers, periodicals, and trade publications and has acted as a consultant to the hospitality industry. No matter what the subject matter, he aims to write an entertaining read. His book, 'Where The Spirits Moved Me' is now available on Amazon and Apple.

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