Food Gift 2009

Outstanding Food Gift 2009: O Balsamic Vinegar Trio

Balsamic vinegar could not get any more sexy thanks to O Olive Oil. The Petaluma, Calif., company, couples three of its balsamic vinegars—Oak Aged California, White and Port—in a handsome trio targeted toward the “super home chef who likes to experiment and play in the kitchen,” says company founder Greg Hinson.

O Olive Oil has offered balsamics since 1997 to round out its line of citrus-flavored olive oils. It wasn’t until the past three years with the passing of California’s Proposition 65—a law that states businesses have to warn their customers of unsafe exposure to lead potentially found in balsamic and certain other vinegars—that Hinson began to focus on his balsamic line. Each vinegar, he says, tests 30 times lower than the established safe levels for compliance with Prop 65. “People now know balsamic and want more variety. We want our customers to know where their food is coming from and especially what is in it,” he says.

Made in California in the traditional manner—barrel-aged over time and under rigorous supervision—the company handcrafts each balsamic one batch at a time in order to certify the quality. The vinegars in the set have their own distinct flavor profiles: O California Balsamic, from the Sonoma vineyards, is dark, rich and dense with a classic smoky-sweet flavor; O White Balsamic, from Napa vineyards, is a mixture of Muscat and Malvasia grapes with hints of almonds and pears; and O Port, from both Napa and Sonoma vineyards, is fruity with plum notes. Suggested retail price: $30. ooliveoil.com.–N. Denis