NOTE: All food and beverages were complimentary, but all opinions are based on my own personal experience.

Earlier this month, we were invited by Flavor Your Life to an olive oil tasting event sponsored by the Italian government. The goal was to educate consumers about olive oil and Zucchi was the olive oil company that we learned about.

The event was hosted at La Terrazza and they were also the ones preparing the canapés. Did I mention how beautiufl the venue is here? Perfect date night.

Zucchi is now onto their 7th generation as a family business and is currently run by Giovanni Zucchi, the Blendmaster of Olive Oils. The company is known for their “art of blending” which means that olives from different cultivators and regions are mixed together to make one oil.

At the event, I learned that extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) must contain less than 0.8% acidity. Usually virgin oil would be 2%. As well, colour does not mean anything in terms of quality and EVOO is usually only fresh for a year after opening the bottle.

At the event, we got to sample a few of their EVOO as well as infused oils. I had no idea that there were proper ways of tasting olive oil, but think of it like you’re tasting wine. It took me a while to taste the flavours (and I still couldn’t taste many that the experts could), but it was amazing to really appreciate what good EVOO tastes like. You would be surprised!

My favourites were their infused oils, which included pesto, white truffle, and lemon. These are perfect for beginners or if you just want some added flavours which would go great with dishes like salads or pastas. My favourite had to be the white truffle, which you could smell from a mile away!

We then got to enjoy some beautiful canapés from La Terrazza.

The company, Zucchi, will be introducing three everyday EVOO to the Canadian market which ranges from a sweeter oil to a full-flavoured oil which will be perfect for different occasions (raw or cooked dishes). A 1L bottle retails for around $20-$30 in Canada.