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An olive oil tasting at the carpenter’s workbench, in the garden of Villa Asteri.
An olive oil tasting at the carpenter’s workbench, in the garden of Villa Asteri.
Experiences · Amazing Villas in Crete

Olive Oil Tasting in the Garden

Nearly everyone arrives in Crete already using olive oil, and almost nobody has tasted two of them next to each other.

That is the whole idea. Not a lecture about polyphenols — three oils, in order, in the garden, and by the end you can tell them apart.

By Argyris Skordilis, owner and host · Updated

What Actually Happens

Three Cretan extra virgin oils are poured in turn, from the mild to the sharp, into small glasses. You taste them the way the people who make them do: the glass warmed in your hand first, then the smell, then a little in the mouth, drawn across the tongue, and then you notice the catch at the back of the throat. There is a tasting sheet on the table with an intensity scale and the aromas to look for, so you have words for what you are noticing.

Each oil goes into its own glass, on a sheet with an intensity scale and the aromas to look for.
Each oil goes into its own glass, on a sheet with an intensity scale and the aromas to look for.
The glass is warmed in the hand and smelled before anything is eaten.
The glass is warmed in the hand and smelled before anything is eaten.

The oils are tasted on their own first, because bread hides everything. Then each one comes back with a dish cooked to go with it. At a recent tasting these were dakos with tomato, feta and oregano; carob bread with a cream of mizithra and bitter honey; and an avocado and chocolate mousse. Yours will depend on the season and the harvest. with flaked almond and orange, which nobody expects and everybody remembers.

It happens in the garden, at a table, in the part of the afternoon when the light is good and it is no longer too hot.

What Changes Afterwards

Three things, and guests mention them in that order.

Three Cretan extra virgin olive oils, tasted one after the other.
Three Cretan extra virgin olive oils, tasted one after the other.

The peppery catch is not a fault. Most visitors think an oil that stings at the back of the throat has gone wrong. It is the opposite: that sensation is what fresh, early-harvest oil does, and it fades as the oil ages.

The harvest date matters more than the words on the front. “Extra virgin” is the highest grade, but on its own it does not tell you how fresh an oil is. The date is the thing to look for, and once you have looked for it once you will look for it always.

Oils differ by village, not only by island. Two oils pressed forty minutes apart can taste nothing alike.

Children

Bring them. Children taste more directly than adults do, they are not trying to sound knowledgeable, and they are usually the first to say which oil they like. Tell Argyris how many are joining so the afternoon is set up for them too.

Dakos with tomato, feta and oregano, made for one of the oils.
Dakos with tomato, feta and oregano, made for one of the oils.

What We Do Not Promise

  • We do not run the tasting. It is led by an independent local provider, not by Amazing Villas in Crete.
  • The experiences on request are not included in the villa price. A tasting is arranged and paid separately, directly with the provider.
  • Which oils are poured, and what is cooked to go with them, depends on the season and on the harvest. Neither the oils, the dishes nor the price are fixed on this page.
  • This is not a mill visit. If you want to see a press working, that is a different day and a different season — the harvest runs roughly from November to January.

If You Would Rather Just Buy Some

You can, and you should. But a tasting first is what tells you which one to carry home, and the difference between the bottle you would have chosen on arrival and the one you choose afterwards is not small.

An avocado and chocolate mousse with flaked almond and orange, finished with olive oil.
An avocado and chocolate mousse with flaked almond and orange, finished with olive oil.
Argyris Skordilis, owner and host of Amazing Villas in Crete
From Argyris

Every family here has an opinion about oil, and none of them agree. What I like about the tasting is that it gives you your own opinion instead of ours. Guests go home and buy differently for years afterwards, which says more than anything I could write here.

Argyris Skordilis · Owner and host, Amazing Villas in Crete

Facts checked against our four villa pages · Last reviewed by Argyris Skordilis, owner of Amazing Villas in Crete.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can an olive oil tasting be arranged at every villa?

Yes, at all four. Tell Argyris your dates and he will check it for you. Nothing is booked or paid on this page.

Is it included in the villa price?

No. Nothing on the Experiences pages is included in the villa price. A tasting is arranged and paid separately, directly with the provider.

Is there food with it?

Yes. Each oil is tasted on its own first, then eaten with a dish cooked to go with it. It is still a tasting rather than a meal, so plan dinner for afterwards.

Is it suitable for children?

Yes, and they usually enjoy it more than their parents expect. Tell Argyris how many children are joining.

Will we visit an olive mill?

No. This happens in the garden at the villa. A working mill is a different day, and the harvest only runs from roughly November to January.

Can we buy the oils we taste?

Usually, yes — that is agreed with the provider on the day. We do not sell oil ourselves.

When is the best time of year for this?

Any time you are here. If you want the freshest oils of the new harvest, that is late autumn and early winter.

A Tasting That Changes How You Buy Oil

Tell Argyris your dates, how many of you are travelling and whether children are joining. He will check what is possible for your dates.

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