Provence Olive Oil
 

Does anyone have experience in the Nyons area or any other Olive Oil regions in France?

Specifically, I'm looking to find out which olive oil region in Provence would be most worthy of a day trip and what to do while there? Eg. are there any cooperatives where you can taste various kinds/makers of olive oil so as to compare? Are there any especially picturesque olive oil fields???

Thanks very much.

Jen

Certainly olive oil products are alive and well in Avignon. Used for soap etc. Might try the Avignon tourist information web site and go from there?

There is a moulin in Nyons. We like the Moulin Coop Jean Marie Cornille in Maussane. Should you stop there, a few doors before on the left is a Morocco-style B&B. They serve lunch or drinks.
Take a peak. She also has boutique of clothes and gifts from Morocco. The couple who run it are from Paris. Shealso has a shop by the same name on the main street. Both called, the Angel and the Elephant.

hi, Jen, I think you asked this in another thread. I am not really into olive oil, to be honest -- at least nothing more than using it in cooking --- so I didn't do anything related to that in that area. I just drove around because it's a pleasant area and town. However, I found an article for you in the Wash Post travel section (Oct 2003) on Nyons exactly, which tells you everything to do and how

http://preview.tinyurl.com/2tgmrs

Jen - If you are planning to purchase olive oil to bring home and don't make the trip to Nyons, there are alot of various olive oils available at the market at L'Isle sur la Sorgue on Sunday morning (if you are planning to be at that market). Also, there is an Olivier's and Co. store in LSLS that carries many varieties of olive oil. I bought a large plastic jug of olive oil at the market and it was the best I've ever had!

Enjoy!

joy/luvparee

It is said here locally that olive oil from les Baux is the very best. it is also an interesting place to visit.
Rgds
Wilko

My absolutely favorite olives are found at the cooperative in Nyons and we usually haul home many of their airtight plastic bags of olives. However, the best-of-the-best gold medal winning olive oil is in Maussane les Alpilles --and the groves of olive trees in the Vallee de les Baux (outside of St. Remy and Maussane) are truly splendid!

this is from Provence about my olive oil

http://www.provence-hideaway.com/302.html

My favorite olive oil is from Mas des Barres, which is located in Maussane-les-Alpilles, just south of St. Rémy, near Les Baux. The people there were very nice about explaining to us how it is produced, etc.

I like that it comes in half liter and liter cans so that there's no worry about broken bottles in my checked luggage.

The Bouche-du-Rhône area of Provence is a big olive oil region. The Mas des Barres in Maussane is an award-winning cooperative where you can sample and purchase olive oil and other products. I don't know about comparing different oils - you'd probably have to go to a store les Les Oliviers to do that.

Thank you all! I can't wait to buy some oil early in my trip so I can prepare food with it while there. I think I'll also bring a can or two home!

Thanks!

Bringing olive oil home can be problematic these days. If you don't ship it, you will have to put it into your checked bags because they will not let you carry more than 3 oz through security in your carry-on, and 3 oz won't go far :-). The kind in the can is likely to be a lot safer in your checked luggage than a bottle, though I successfully brought one home from Spain. On the other hand, there was the maple syrup that I was taking to friends in England that lost its top in my checked bag . . . .

If you plan to bring bottles home with you, bring along some bubble wrap. Some places have bubble wrap specially designed for bottles..formed and cut to hold a bottle in a pocket..but to be safe I always pack my own since I often bring olive oil home from Europe.

If you happen to live near NYC, Fairway sells excellent Les Baux and Mausannes Les Alpilles oils, sometimes bottled under their own label..they sell lots so they are usually quite fresh. They often carry Alziari from Nice, which comes in those pretty cans, and other Provencal oils.

I note that the Italian government admits to an Olive oil crisis along the lines that
Nearly all italian oil sold for export is actually imported from Turkey and that while the exports are called extra virgin the imports are fully pressed!

If that is correct then I think buying french oil from the farm may be the only really safe way (though to be sure french appallation control will be tighter than Italian

Good idea on the bubble wrap!

Thanks

Does anyone have any more information on visiting olive oil mills? I've heard great things about Mas des Barre and Calanquet, but I'm not sure exactly where they are and how to go about scheduling a visit (are there English tours avaiable?).

On our tours to Povence, we go to see an olive oil maker in Gordes, moulin du clos des jeannons, http://www.huile-provence.com/angindex.html

The owner organizes walks in his olive tree fields: he teaches you about olive trees, olives, olive oil, etc.. There is a view of Gordes from his field. Wonderful. Then you come back to the mill where he shows you how he makes olive oil. You can then taste it and buy it of course.

He organizes it for groups. Not sure if he does it for individuals but you can contact him.

He organizes it especialy for my small groups of 8 women. This is the number I take on each of my trips (check my tours at www.frenchescapade.com)

Good luck.