What Is Ultra Premium Olive Oil — And Why Does It Matter?

Walk into any grocery store and you'll find shelves lined with bottles labelled "extra virgin olive oil." But here's the truth most brands don't want you to know: the majority of what's sold as extra virgin olive oil doesn't actually meet the standard. It may be old, improperly stored, blended with lower-grade oils, or simply mislabelled. At Pressed for Vine, we do things differently — and it starts with sourcing exclusively from Veronica Foods, one of the world's most respected ultra premium olive oil suppliers.

What Does "Ultra Premium" Actually Mean?

Ultra Premium (UP) is the highest quality designation in the olive oil industry — a standard that goes far beyond the basic "extra virgin" label. To qualify as Ultra Premium, an olive oil must:

• Be early harvest — pressed from olives picked at peak ripeness, before they fully mature
• Have extremely low free fatty acidity (well below the 0.8% threshold for extra virgin)
• Contain high polyphenol levels — the antioxidants responsible for health benefits and that characteristic peppery finish
• Be freshly pressed and traceable — with a clearly dated harvest and full transparency about origin
• Pass rigorous chemical and sensory testing by certified panels

Veronica Foods pioneered the UP standard and works directly with award-winning mills across the world's finest olive-growing regions — from Chile and Australia to Portugal, Spain, Greece, and Italy. Every oil we carry at Pressed for Vine is sourced through Veronica Foods and meets these exacting standards.

How to Read an Olive Oil Label

Next time you pick up a bottle, look for these key indicators of quality:

• Harvest date — not a "best before" date, but the actual date the olives were pressed. Freshness matters enormously.
• Country of origin — ideally a single country or even a single estate, not a blend of "EU olive oils"
• Free fatty acidity (FFA) — the lower, the better. UP oils typically come in well under 0.3%
• Polyphenol content — higher polyphenols mean more flavour complexity and greater health benefits
• Dark glass or tin packaging — light degrades olive oil rapidly; quality producers protect their product

How to Taste Olive Oil Properly

Tasting olive oil is a genuine sensory experience — and one we love sharing at our Langford tasting bar. Here's how the professionals do it:

1. Warm the oil — cup a small tasting glass in your hands for 30 seconds to bring it to body temperature
2. Smell first — swirl gently and inhale. Fresh UP oils smell grassy, fruity, or herbaceous — never greasy or musty
3. Sip and slurp — take a small sip and draw air across it (yes, it's loud — that's intentional). This aerates the oil and opens up the flavour
4. Feel the finish — a quality UP oil will leave a pleasant peppery sensation at the back of your throat. That's the polyphenols at work

At Pressed for Vine in Millstream Village, Langford BC, every oil on our shelves is available to taste before you buy. Our team will walk you through the tasting process, explain the flavour profiles, and help you find the perfect oil for your kitchen and your palate.

Ready to taste the difference? Visit us at Millstream Village in Langford, BC — we'd love to pour you something extraordinary. Serving customers from Victoria, Saanich, Duncan, Sidney, and across Vancouver Island.