Kiler Ridge is a family-run olive farm just about an hour from the central coast of California. It rests in the dry, arid hills of Paso Robles, home to California’s Mediterranean-like agriculture where both grape and olive thrive.
Kiler Ridge houses 15-acres of olive farm, with olive tree varieties directly imported from Italy. To get to the farm, you drive up a steep winding driveway. Once on top of the hill, you’re looking over beautiful groves of olive trees, their romantic limbs swaying in the warm breeze. We visited the grove on a warm morning, hoping to beat the worst of the climbing June temperatures. A record-breaking heatwave quickly forced us under shade but we still had a beautiful view.
In the shade, we enjoyed sitting down to an official olive oil tasting. Our host was an agricultural student from Cal Poly and couldn’t have been more excited to share the characteristics of each olive varietal we sipped on. If you’ve never experienced an olive oil tasting, the first senses you explore are sight and smell, similar to a wine tasting. You’re looking at the color and consistency: thick and rich in colors of gold versus thin and pale in yellowish-greens, and so on.
The nose will indicate taste on some level. It’s common, however, to start the actual tasting by dipping a finger in your oil sample and applying it to specific areas of the tongue. This will bring out stronger, more specific flavors while taking a full sip offers an overall flavor impression.
We were shocked to find flavor profiles we wouldn’t have expected. Delicate hints of grass, banana, cinnamon, almond, and pepper coated our tongues. And for the finale: a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream with a caramel-like olive oil drizzle and a sprinkle of sea salt. If you’re puzzled by the combination, you’re not alone. But it was insanely delicious, perfect on a sweltering summer day, and is now a treat I like to surprise house guests with in a very Martha Stewart-esque moment.
It’s giving grass… banana… cinnamon… almond… pepper…
Paso Robles is filled to the brim with wineries. Over 200 vineyards in fact! But the hilly landscape and climate that proffers a cozy home for the grapevines here does the same for olive trees as well. I highly suggest tucking in a visit to Kiler Ridge—it offers something different on the terroir trail and your pantry will thank you if you decide to ship a couple of bottles home. Your meals will taste like California long after you return!