I've often wondered about the process of making olive oil, so today was the day for finding out. Laren, one of the proprietors of Moulin a Huile de la Voie Domitienne on the outskirts of Beaucaire, speaks reasonable English and explained to about 40 of us what was involved. In principal it's a process not unlike wine making. I won't bore you with the details because you can read about that here, however one or two interesting facts came out.
1 Watch the sell by date. It should never be more than 2 years old.
2 The oil is at its best within 1 year of pressing, but will keep up to 2 years.
3 It does not improve with age. After 2 years it will start to deteriorate through oxidation.
4 Buy the taste that you like and do not be influenced by price.
5 If you are lucky to live near an oil mill (in France), the oil is extracted and bottled between November and January, so buy it in February.
