(This article originally appeared in the Fall/Winter 2008 edition of Touring & Tasting)

Shimmering silver leaves have added a new color to the rolling hills of Paso Robles, California, in recent years. They glisten and flutter in the breeze in long, determined rows, gently reminding wine tourers that man cannot—and should not—live by wine alone. Olives have taken root in Paso Robles, and their oils have found a proud place on the table internationally.

Historical and Healthy

Sharing a common history with California’s grapes, California’s olives came to the state in the eighteenth century, when Spanish missionaries planted olive trees and grapevines at each of the 21 missions established between Sonoma and San Diego. The olive oil industry was born and thrived through the nineteenth century, then waned, then resurged at the end of the twentieth century as Americans began to discover its health benefits. Today, olive oil is reputed for lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol; lowering blood pressure; and reducing the risk of diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and certain cancers. According to the California Olive Oil Council’s Executive Director Patricia Darragh, California now has an estimated 14,000 acres with another 7,000 acres to be planted by year end. “We estimate that for each year thereafter, there will be a minimum of 10,000 acres planted,” Patricia says. “We plan to surpass French production this fall.”

That Tasty Paso Terroir

Olives seem to do particularly well in Paso Robles. The same distinctive soils and extreme swings in temperature that grow the region’s impressive wines foster the unique flavors of its olive oils. “It might be that Paso Robles is the Sonoma of olives,” proclaims Joeli Yaguda of Pasolivo, whose Extra Virgin and Tangerine Olive Oils both recently won Best in Shows at the 2007 International Olive Oil Competition in Los Angeles. Pasolivo grows nearly a dozen varietals—primarily Tuscan—and presses its own oils in the late fall. Not far away, in the town of Templeton, Clotilde and Yves Julien are reaping bumper crops of Arbequina olives at Oléa Farm and French Antiques. Yves and his industrious wife, Clotilde, who moved to Paso Robles eight years ago, elicited the help of Paul Vossen, Olives/Olive Oil and Pomology Farm Advisor at the University of California Cooperative Extension in Sonoma County. Paul guided the Juliens as they started their farm of Arbequinas, a dwarf variety and one of the principal varieties of Spain. Today, Oléa Farm offers an award-winning Arbequina olive oil along with a delightful menu of olive oil blends. Perhaps their most unique product in the Oléa Farm line-up is olive jam, a succulent, sweet spread that complements cheeses and meats and inspired the glaze for the rack of lamb at Paso’s Villa Creek Restaurant.

From Tree to Bottle

While different varieties of Paso Robles olives are harvested at varying degrees of ripeness to capture various flavors, most are picked in November and early December, just after the area’s 300 plus wineries have crushed their grapes. The freshly-picked olives are rushed from the field to the mill where they are rinsed in fresh water and separated from the leaves and stems. The olives are then ground into a paste which is mixed to encourage the oil to separate from its vegetable matter and water. Unlike wine, olive oil is ready to enjoy in a matter of days. Aging is unnecessary. In fact, fresh olive oil is best and should be used within one year from the time the bottle is opened.

Try It, You’ll Like It

Olive oils are actually identified and quantified by using specially trained sensory panelists who apply a detailed descriptive analysis to the oils they taste. But don’t let that scare you. Olive oil tasting is easy and fun. In downtown Paso Robles, Gary Brown, the owner of We Olive, a delightful store devoted to everything olive, says, “We want people to have an experience in our store so they leave knowing there’s a flavor in olive oil.” The Paso store is We Olive’s flagship with seven others open or opening soon in California—which is a sure sign that a passion for olive oil is catching on and growing strong—and strongest perhaps, in Paso Robles.