Sciabica's Tasting Room and California Gold

On the way to Yosemite I stopped at the Sciabica's Tasting room. It was a clean, beautiful facility hidden in the middle of a sprawling, car-dependent urban expansion that is Modesto, California. I think due to the proximity, the loveliness of the store, and the uniqueness of the Mission olive buttery flavor, this might be one of my current favorite brands.

Visiting Sciabica's was the first time I saw a tasting room.

And I really liked this picture. The phone number has only three digits because in the early to mid 20th century, manual telephone systems were standard, especially in small towns like Modesto. Before the era of billboards, it seems that you would put your company advertisement directly on the door of your grower's truck!

I wonder if Italian immigrants to the United States recognized a similar dry, Mediterranean environment, and brought the crops and practices that they knew well. I do not know. They have a tasting room, which I visited, along with their actual production facility nearby, which is not typically open to the public. 

It was also on this trip that I realized something incredibly obvious, but I had never thought about before.

The Mission ... is that the same Mission District... California missions?

Hold the phone! As you know, San Francisco has the Mission District. I have biked through there, and in fact, will be visiting the area again soon. To step back, the California missions are a set (N=21) of military and religious posts that were established between 1769 and 1823. The Mission Dolores is the one that the Mission District in San Francisco is named after, and the chapel was finished in 1791. Now I would say the district is land of burritos and murals, at least if you are a bike visitor. So how does this relate to olive oil?

Mission Olives

In the late 1700s, Spanish friars planted planted Mission olives next to the Mission Dolores. My understanding is that as they moved and planted them along their route, leading to the more widespread cultivation across California. What I did not realize, that the woman in the store told me, was that the buttery flavor of the Sciabaca oil is due to the Mission olive, and not Arbequina. In fact, Arbequina is mild and tends to taste like whatever you pair it with. It is the tofu of the olive oil world. The tasting room walls were covered with paintings

newspapers, ribbons and awards.

The Olive Oils

I came away with quite a bundle of gold! This is after I arrived in Yosemite in the evening.

I have finished all of the little bottles. The Arbequina + Mission mix remains one of my favorites. The bottle to the far right of the small set is special because it is the Sciabia family original, flagship label that goes back to 1936. From what I can tell, this is a blend of several of their olive oils. I can taste the Mission, and it is overall delicious. The Hillside 7 oil is a bit funny. It is literally a patch of 700 olive trees, 7 varieties, that are grown in the shape of California. The woman in the store reported that their Mission Olive crop was less buttery this year and more robust. I can taste it.

I love that! I think the proximity (and my love for Mission Olive Oils) makes this one of my top producers. I also finished my first bottle of Costa d' Oro Classico on this trip. I think it might have been my first official unfiltered oil, and I enjoyed immensely. I should have looked at it closely in a clear glass to see what "unfiltered" looks like, but did not. It came with a special little stopper that I found very cute.

Almond Trees

If you drive around the area, you will see a lot of orchards of different varieties. The predominant tree is the almond tree. I went about an hour out of my way on the ride back to visit Oakdale, California, and drive through the orchards and get close to the California Gold Oil Company. This photo was taken on Claribel Road, just about four tenths of a mile from their private facility. 

I then stopped in Oakdale Feed and Seed to pick up an olive oil. 

There was a small shelf in the store with them, and two varieties. The harvest dates were a bit old (2024) but I decided to get the Arbequina anyway.

I will need to get this oil again, perhaps with a newer harvest date. I want to be candid in these reviews. The flavor is not my favorite. It gives me subtle hints of cheese and maybe mild latex. I cannot put my finger on it, but this is likely an olive oil I will mix with others. I do not want to dissuade anyone from trying it, especially a newer harvest date. I will give a more proper review when I am able to get a bottle from a store with higher traffic. 

What made this particular stop so special is what happened when I went into the store. An elderly man stepped out in front of the main counter, called the attention of the entire store, and proceeded to lead us in singing happy birthday to a woman behind the counter. It was absolutely lovely and the exact kind of experience I would want to fall into. Speaking of falling, I saw mountains, El Capitan, huge trees, and on just one day, went a total of 6400 feet and 12 miles. It is choosing to do hard things that makes us strong, I think. It is immersing in life experiences that allows us to think about what it is like from someone else's shoes. Here are mine.