Editor’s Note: This is another in a continuing series of articles focusing on the food product lines carried at Tony Caputo’s Market and Deli. As Caputo’s owners continue to develop their leadership for being the city’s go-to store for top quality, well-priced foods representing the Italian and southern Mediterranean region, they add a vital educational component to their focus, ensuring that customers feel absolutely comfortable with the products they feature.

Olive oil and balsamic vinegar are, perhaps, among the most common ingredients in today’s cuisine. And, patrons at many Italian restaurants – ranging from the bland, uninspired cookie-cutter offerings of franchised chains to the respectable dishes of independently owned bistros and cafes – will be offered olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and cubed bread as a complimentary starter.

However, there is a good likelihood that this simple starter is a complete impostor. The olive oil may be adulterated. The vinegar is, at best, a mock version of the real Modena product, not even an acceptably lengthened one. And, in true Italian culinary practices, rarely would anyone ever dip bread into the oil. (The bread is useful primarily as a palate cleanser when one is sampling oils for their particular tasting notes.)

Caputo’s offers roughly 55 varieties of olive oils and more than 40 balsamic vinegars. The oils, in which freshness is dictated by a fairly tight window of usable shelf life, range in price from $9.95 per liter to $100 per liter.

On the other hand, good balsamic vinegars age beautifully, much like a fine wine. The prices of balsamic vinegars parallel those of the wine industry in some respects – ranging from $7.49 per 500 milliliters to more than $200 for a 100-milliliter bottle. Price, obviously, dictates use, according to Matt Caputo, who recommends that the less expensive oils are ideal for cooking or for salad dressings while the more expensive products function best where just a few drops bring forward remarkably complex notes in greens, cheeses, fruits, desserts, and meats.

Is it real?

Those attending Matt’s classes might even be initially skeptical about his claims against olive oils found on many grocery store shelves, especially those that broadcast as being extra virgin from first pressings. “You’re likely to buy a false product 85 percent of the time,” he explains. “Often, it’s been on the shelves long past the usable date so it’s stale.”

And, some are not even olive oils. An unsuspecting consumer might actually be purchasing a bottle of Turkish nut oils masquerading as olive oil. Unscrupulous producers take wide advantage of the lack of good, vigilant oversight by the Food and Drug Administration. Any oversight is the responsibility of major producers or trade groups.

However, there is plenty of evidence that olive oil is among the most adulterated agricultural products, a point emphasized repeatedly in the increasingly popular food classes Caputo’s offers. Olive oil fraud could be the second oldest profession because there even is archaeological evidence suggesting that the ancients tried to perpetrate impostor oils.

The problem became so pervasive in Europe in the 1990s that the European Union established a temporary task force with administrative powers to ensure the integrity of the industry. In a widely cited New Yorker article from August 2007, available here, an EU official noted that olive oil profits were competitive with those reaped from cocaine trafficking but with “none of the risks.”

Tom Mueller of the New Yorker explained in this money quote, suggesting the problem still remains:

Yet fraud remains a major international problem: olive oil is far more valuable than most other vegetable oils, but it is costly and time consuming to produce—and surprisingly easy to doctor. Adulteration is especially common in Italy, the world’s leading importer, consumer, and exporter of olive oil. (For the past ten years, Spain has produced more oil than Italy, but much of it is shipped to Italy for packaging and is sold, legally, as Italian oil.)

Buying olive oil from a sensible price-value point

Buying olive oil can be like purchasing wine in many ways, except the ideal shelf life for most oils is well under a year with four and a half months being the best timeframe. A few – because of exceptional quality in olive characteristics and extraction method – can still be good well past a year – or, in a rare handful of instances, two years.

And, like wine, olive oil’s quality is predicated on the year of production. “We’re always re-evaluating our selections every year,” Matt says. “It isn’t surprising to see a particular producer disappear from the shelf after a disappointing harvest year only to return in another when the standard has been regained.” At press time, Italian makers are into this year’s olive oil production and American consumers will see the results for the first time somewhere between December and February.

Because olive is a stone fruit (e.g. like a plum or cherry), its extraction method is akin to the production of freshly-squeezed fruit juices. In every instance, the best tasting olive oil occurs immediately after the moment it has been pressed because the chemical processes of oxidation and enzymes already have the capacity to impart unpleasant odors and tastes in the oil. As there are hundreds of grape varietals for wine, there are similarly hundreds of olive types – or, as the experts say, cultivars – that result in distinctively tasting expressions of oil.

Oxidation is the biggest enemy, Matt explains, adding that the key criterion for an oil of good to exceptional quality is a very low content of the fatty oleic acid. How low? The best ones manage to contain just .01 percent of the fatty acid. The EU standard mandates that any extra-virgin oil so labeled must contain no more than 0.8 percent of free acidity.

Therefore, the most expensive olive oils are used as condimenti, in the Italian style. “They are so robust and potent that just a few drops on roasted peppers, artichokes, or fruit will bring out the unmistakably green varietal flavors of an exceptional olive,” he says.

In the shop and in the classes, Matt and his colleagues strive to help consumers navigate with an increasing sense of confidence the imposing selection of olive oils available. Rightly so, he breaks the products into manageable categories ranging from least expensive to most expensive, paralleling the best ways to use them.

Again, the old rule applies here – a little goes a long way, especially with the highest priced offerings. The most important revelation, however, is that an olive oil purchased at Caputo’s will be a bona fide product available according to its appropriate shelf life.

Budget friendly:

Probably the two best brands recommended for cooking or for making mild salad dressings are Monini ($13.69 per liter) and Antica Italia ($14.95 per liter). These are simple, straightforward oils that are worth using especially when one knows that they are unadulterated products which haven’t been on the shelf long enough to become stale.

Medium priced:

At this level, one will begin to see a decidedly more complex layering of notes and green vegetal, fruit, sweet, and peppery notes. One of Matt’s personal favorites hails from Greece, one of the mildest Aegean offerings, which controls nicely for the peppery tones. This sells at $14.95 per 500 milliliters.

An excellent selection from Southern Puglia is Tenuta Cocevola at $13.95 for 250 milliliters. Others worthy of mention are Olio Beato, which always has less than 0.5 percent free acidity and is priced at $19.95 for a 750-milliliter package, and Balzana, produced in the Santa Ynez valley of California, and which retails for $17.95 for a 375-milliliter bottle. The Tuscan olive varietals have been cultivated with a growing degree of success to capture the typical buttery and peppery notes that have long been indigenous to Italy.

Higher priced:

Here, the oils take on extraordinary complex taste profiles – counterpoints of bitter and sweet with finishes that know exactly where to go on the tongue. These oils are meant for condimenti uses. In particular, those that are unfiltered should never be used for cooking. Some, such as Gianfranco Becchina, which comes from the northern Sicily uplands, are immediately reminiscent of freshly cut grass with mild peppery notes scattered in just the right places. This oil retails at $42.95 for a 500-milliliter bottle.

Others, widely noted for their quality by major trade groups and international councils, include the Frescobaldi Laudemio, an estate-produced oil from the Chianti Ruffina hills, which sells for $44.95 for a half-liter. Always rated exceptional, this Tuscan oil often is ranked atop the region by Wine Spectator editors.

Also noteworthy is Mannucci Droandi, which imparts complex green varietals of artichoke and rosemary notes, and it sells for $34.95 per half liter. These oils are certified organic and carry the DOP designation (indicating protected destination of origin).

Perhaps the most remarkable for several reasons is Viola, of which an October 2006 vintage is still available and which defies the traditional rules of ideal longevity. It is solid proof that the lowest possible percentage of oleic acid content does matter. Viola has been recognized with Italy’s national prize for olive oil production. Even a couple of drops bring forward a new dimension to a simple prima donna cheese, the Dutch tribute to Italian cheeses. Caputo’s imports Viola directly and offers it at $34.95 for a half-liter bottle. It is a highly prized product.

Balsamic Vinegar

The popularity of balsamic vinegars has escalated along with olive oil’s appeal. And, the misrepresentation is just as pervasive – if not cruder with this product.

It is here where the reputation of the vendor is critical. Vinegar makers have greedily parlayed a fake product, which is situated in the same shelf section of the grocery store next to the two and three dollar bottles of red wine vinegar. The exception is that grocery store offerings can run up to $18 a bottle. While, tastewise, they are okay – if not excessively sweet as so often is the case — these impostors are nothing more than regular wine vinegar spiked with sugar and artificial food coloring. Many brands also are grape juice vinegar that either hasn’t been aged or grape juice vinegar that has been aged for less than a year in stainless steel tanks.

Occasionally, a consumer might be likely to find a product where the vinegar has been aged for more than two years in a wooden barrel. However, that product would still not qualify as an authentic balsamic vinegar.

Three things essentially make a true balsamic vinegar. First, it is made from the Trebbiano grape’s unfermented juice. Hence, why the Emilia-Romagna region surrounding Modena is the foremost home for this vinegar condiment. Second, it is aged in wooden barrels for more than 12 years and the barrel is changed every year. The wood is important, too – because of the distinctive flavor notes it imparts. The wood can be chestnut, ash tree, cherry, mulberry, juniper or oak. Third, as a result of the barrel-aging process, the vinegar is thick, syrupy, and sweet but certainly not to the extent that the fake supermarket brands carry. A true balsamic vinegar can be sipped alone like a fine wine, cognac or brandy cordial.

The label matters

A thorough reading of the product’s label will confirm if the best vinegar is, indeed, the real thing, according to Matt. The ingredient list should have the unfermented grape juice in the greatest proportion of the product. Beware of ingredients such as caramel or added flavorings, artificial or natural. This indicates a false product.

The label also should indicate specifically that it was aged in wooden barrels. Don’t be mollified by the phrase “aged in wood.” It could have been the casual adding of wood chips to a stainless steel cask.

Perhaps, most telling is the price tag: aceto balsamico tradizionale, depending on the currency exchange rate, sells for well in excess of $90 or $100 for a 100-milliliter bottle. However, keep in mind – and these are available at Caputo’s — traditional producers will make available for the market a diluted balsamic vinegar at a remarkably reasonable price and one that is worthy of home use. The big difference is that the label will not carry the tradizionale designation.

Matt recommends a similar three-tiered approach with regard to price and quality for balsamic vinegar as he does for olive oil. An inexpensive diluted version is typically more acidic and ideal for use on salads. The medium-priced versions suggest versatile uses, because they are denser and sweeter, especially in recipes – great on steak, for example. Finally, the most expensive vinegars – often those aged 25 years or longer and which have infinite shelf life – are reserved for special uses. This might include a few drops on a piece of first-rate cheese, farm-fresh strawberries, or homemade gelato. Like the most expensive olive oils, the best balsamics are reserved for condimenti uses.

Budget priced:

Several diluted versions are worthy of extensive use such as the Antica Italia brand that is aged in oak and chestnut barrels and retails at $7.49 for a half-liter bottle. In fact, this is the version Caputo’s employees use most extensively on their sandwiches. In some instances, customers might be swayed by fancy packaging that belies a less impressive taste. In other words, taste points might not differ significantly from a brand that costs on average $15 a liter from one that costs four times more per liter but appears in a more elegant-looking package.

Medium priced:

One of the strongest offerings here is La Vecchia Dispensa Nobili Sapori, which is made in Modena and retails at $21.95 for a half-liter package. This product has been lengthened – that is, the cooked unfermented grape juice and an acetified grape must is blended and aged for five years in oak barrels. The resulting vinegar is sweeter and thicker and has a great range of uses in recipes, on salads, and as a condiment finisher.

Another competitively priced option is the Leonardi Saba Balsamic Vinegar, which is aged similarly and imparts notes reminiscent of a pleasantly sweet wine. Typically, these types are lengthened with a mix of the distinctive Trebbiano grapes and those found in Lambrusco wines. These work well in marinades and sauces and function reasonably well when drizzled over dessert or fresh fruit.

At the highest end of this price-range segment is the Villa Manodori brand, which often is highly judged by a consortium of experts. At $44.95 for a 250-milliliter bottle, the vinegar has a rich, complex aroma and its color is gorgeously dark.

Higher priced:

At this level, the selection takes on particular distinction. These meet and exceed the tradizionale designation and requirements as indicated above. Like fine wines, these balsamic vinegars are culinary investments to be treasured and celebrated with exceptional food ingredients. Full and mature in flavor, these vinegars have memorable aromas and their color is a deep red garnet. Alone, they are a sheer delight to taste. Among the exceptional candidates to be found at Caputo’s include the Acetaia DiScandiano Oro Bruno, which retails at $56.95 for a 100-milliliter bottle. These tradizionale gems are aged well beyond 12 years and they seem to take on spectacular dimensions past the 25-year point.

For more information on Caputo’s products and classes, see here.