What is an Olive Oil Sommelier?

Olive oil with olives

Much like wine-making, producing good olive oil is an art. From the unique terroir which subtly influences its taste profile, to methods of cultivation, harvesting and processing, several factors influence an olive oil’s quality – just like wine. This exact science requires specialized knowledge and skill, as well as much care.

Similarly, the sensory properties of olive oil can be appreciated much like a good vintage. Just as a wine sommelier swirls, sniffs and sips a glass of fine wine, an olive oil sommelier uses their nose and taste buds to assess an olive oil’s quality.

Sensory Analysis & Training

MerchantAdventurer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A good nose and highly developed palate can detect all the subtle nuances of an olive oil. To be able to learn to appreciate the flavor profile and positive characteristics of olive oil, a sommelier undergoes extensive training and tastes hundreds of different cultivars. Through the senses of smell and taste, they evaluate an oil to determine if it achieves a delicate balance of fruitiness, bitterness, and pungency – the sensory properties to look for in a high quality olive oil. 

Thanks to their deep knowledge of olive oil, they understand what influences its quality and taste. With vast tasting experience, they have the ability to identify varieties and regions of origin while evaluating the aroma and flavors of an olive oil.

Emily Lycopolus at work

Such an expert is also trained to detect any defects and even pinpoint the cause. For example, a rancid oil is one that was not stored properly and has been exposed to air, light and/or heat. Another common defect is a “fusty” oil: this means the olives were not milled within 24 hours as is recommended. By detecting defects they can also identify “fake” olive oils that have been mixed with other vegetable oils in a fraudulent way.

As experts in sensory analysis, olive oil sommeliers work as judges at international olive oil competitions. By assessing an olive oil’s qualities and potential defects they can determine whether it can receive the high quality “extra virgin” label, or another “lower grade” category. Learn what makes an olive oil extra virgin.

Meet an Olive Oil Sommelier

Emily Lycopolus with olive oil bottle

The experience of an olive harvest in Italy in 2010 sparked a passion for olive oil in Emily Lycopolus, launching her on a journey to learn as much about it as possible. Today she’s a qualified Level 2 olive oil sommelier through the International Culinary Center, but hasn’t stopped there and is continuing her education at Italy’s National Organization of Olive Oil Tasters (ONAOO), with the goal of becoming a member of the International Register of Olive Oil Tasters.

“Being an olive oil sommelier is a very multi-faceted job,” says Lycopolus, who lives in Western Canada and has authored eight cookbooks. “At a foundational level, being an olive oil sommelier is like a wine sommelier: you love flavor, you love how things pair and connect, you’re able to focus and you’re able to practice. But one of the things that I love about it that’s different from being a wine sommelier is the technical aspects. Marcello Scoccia, my teacher at ONAOO, says that wine sommeliers are poets, while olive oil sommeliers are analysts. I really love the scientific rigor and I think it plays really well into my science background and into my love of chemistry.”

What Does an Olive Oil Sommelier Do?

Work with Chefs

Chef cooking beef

An olive oil sommelier is also an expert at pairing oils with certain ingredients, foods or dishes. Just as there are many grape cultivars, there are more than a thousand olive varieties with a wide range of flavor profiles. And similar to a good vintage, a high-quality olive oil can enhance a dish. 

With the expert guidance of an olive oil expert, a chef can learn how to elevate dishes with a drizzle of the perfectly paired olive oil. Olive oil experts also work together with restaurants to identify and recommend a selection of high quality olive oils and offer advice on storage and handling to preserve freshness and flavor.

“I find it so interesting to work with chefs,” shares Lycopolus. “They’re always looking at price, and I get that – they have razor-thin margins. They want to have the best products but they don’t necessarily know what to pick or how to pair olive oil. I teach them how olive oil connects with food and how it changes based on the flavor profile of the oil they’re pairing it with. Often I’ll do a blind taste test with a chef and I’ll pick a prawn, for example. I’ll cook two: one in a good oil and one in whatever they have in their kitchen and I’ll have them taste them blind. And without fail, they’ll say this prawn is better than that one. I’ll point out that the prawns are the same – what’s different is the foundation. This is such a great way to open their eyes! Here they are buying expensive Wagyu beef from Japan and organic vegetables but they’re cooking them in low quality olive oil!”

 Consult with Producers and Retailers

Retail shop

An olive oil expert often works as a consultant with producers to evaluate their oils and pinpoint what can be improved in the production and milling process to create the highest quality of oil possible. They also help craft custom blends to suit particular taste palates and respond to client preferences.

By collaborating with olive oil importers and distributors, an olive oil sommelier can make expert recommendations and assess the quality of the products they’re looking to stock. “I also work as a consultant for distributors, specialty grocers, and retailers here in North America,” reveals Lycopolus. “I’ll do a category audit for them by tasting every bottle on their shelf and categorizing them by flavor profile and by use. I'll look through inventory and sales data and advise the best oils for their shelves based on customer demographic and teach their teams how to educate customers.”

Educate consumers

Olive Oil Specialist

Finally, olive oil experts are also passionate educators, sharing their knowledge and know-how with consumers through expert tastings, classes, and workshops. Lycopolus has developed an online Olive Oil Specialist program offered by George Brown College in Toronto for those looking for a thorough introduction to the olive oil industry and the chance to learn how to taste olive oils.

“The more sommeliers and professional tasters we have who are knowledgeable about olive oil, the better – this will create a demand for quality,” she asserts. “That’s really the only way to create movement.” She asks her students to make a point of returning a rancid olive oil to the supermarket they found it in. “You’ll take back rancid milk, or pasta sauce past the sell-by date,” she points out. “Why not take back a rancid or expired oil?”