Essential Oils
Sonoma: Quintessential Experiences
The same Spanish and Italian immigrants who brought viticulture to the Sonoma Valley also planted groves of olive trees on their land, for olive oil, like wine, was considered a staple component of their traditional Mediterranean diet. Over the past decade or so, olive oil production has enjoyed a renaissance throughout the California wine country, and a number of Sonoma growers are turning out some outstanding premium olive oil.
Former rock and roll impresario Bruce Cohn, who founded the B.R. Cohn Winery in 1984, helped to pioneer Sonoma's olive oil revival in the 1990s when he began harvesting and pressing fruit from a grove of Picholine olive trees originally planted on his Sonoma Valley estate in the 1870s. Along with its premium wines, the B.R. Cohn (www.brcohn.com) now offers a successful line of extra-virgin oils, and the limited-production estate olive oil from that original grove sells out quickly every year. The winery visitor center is located a few miles north of Sonoma at the intersection of Highway 12 and Madrone Road.
At the Olive Press Tasting Room and Gift Shop (www.theolivepress.com), a unique facility in the nearby village of Glen Ellen, visitors can see a modern Italian oil press in action during the olive harvest season, which typically runs from October through February or March. Commercial and amateur growers from around Sonoma and Napa counties bring their olives here for pressing, and there's a tasting bar where you can sample a number of locally produced oils. Local and imported oils are sold in the gift shop, along with a range of related products.
Back at the Sonoma Plaza, you can continue your olive oil pilgrimage at the Sonoma Valley Soap Co. (14 West Spain St., www.lolivierinc.com), a retail shop that sells olive-based soaps and skin care products along with boutique olive oils. And a few miles south of town, stop by the Viansa Winery & Italian Marketplace (www.viansa.com), which offers a good selection of olive oils in its popular tasting room and gourmet shop.
Finally, if you happen to be visiting the area during the winter months, check out the schedule for the annual Sonoma Valley Olive Festival, a three-month series of special events beginning with the traditional Blessing of the Olives in early December and culminating with a weekend fair on the Plaza in late February. See www.sonomavalley.com for details.
| 
)
