Olio2go

It's one thing to read about the worldwide renaissance in artisanal olive oils in Tom Mueller's Extra Virginity, and another to try to find some of the great oils he describes on this side of the Atlantic. But Luanne Savino O'Loughlin has brought Italy much closer with Olio2go, an online store with an enticing retail outlet in Fairfax.

Olio2go offers a dizzying array of Italian olive oils from every region. In an age when bulk olive oil emporia are proliferating -- the DC area has new stores in Bethesda, Alexandria and Frederick -- Olio2go adopts a different philosophy of importing only estate-bottled oils. Luanne's argument is that bulk transport means the oil goes through a number of containers before it gets to those pretty stainless steel containers in the store and then into the bottle you take it home in. Even if you believe in the integrity of every middleman involved -- and this is the last thing you believe in after reading Mueller's book -- the risk of accidental contamination or dilution is high.

There is apparently something of an argument going on among olive oil purveyors on bulk vs. bottled, but there's no arguing with the quality of the oils you can taste at the store if you are able to make the trek to the small strip just off the Beltway. We were able to taste a baker's dozen of 2011 and 2012 oils, along with some balsamic vinegars and other gourmet products. We managed to narrow our selection and bring a good sample home. We picked the ones we liked but found afterwards that two of the three oils we bought, Capezzana and Laudemio, were the first-named favorites listed by Sara Jenkins in Olives and Oranges. The third, a 2012 Sicilian oil from Frantoi Cutrera, also impressed us.

Italy is still the standard-setter in olive oil, but of course many other countries, including the U.S., produce great oils. To paraphrase, so many oils, so little time. But it is an incentive to eat more salad to dress with these great oils, or to serve ourselves some oil as an appetizer just as so many restaurants do. We like McEvoy's, a California oil sold at Cowgirl Creamery, and I will certainly try other American oils. But Olio2go is a great way to get some of the finest Italian oils and I look forward to making regular trips there.