That’s right, after spending many months in what often felt like a newly discovered circle of Hell, we are happy to report that we’ve landed our container, unstacked many pallets, and spent the last few days feverishly bottling that most precious of liquids: our beloved lineup of small-production Italian olive oils. With the year’s supply chain issues finally receding into the rearview mirror, we are over the moon to be celebrating the arrival of the oils our Italian partners worked so hard to produce. Without further ado, allow us to reintroduce our old friends.
For more than 50 years the Bettini family has produced extra virgin olive oil near the Umbrian hill town of Montefalco. Frantoio, Moraiolo, and Leccino olives flourish in the tenari bianchi, the region’s lime-rich “white soils.” Warm summer sun and the Tramontana, the dry wind blowing out of the north, produce olives rich with the phenolic compounds that provide the distinctive fruity taste and high pungency of Umbrian olive oil.
The Nenna family produces extra virgin olive oil from hand-picked Frantoio, Moraiolo, and Leccino olives grown on the slopes of the Colline Pisano, the hills south of Pisa near the Tuscan hill town of Chianni. Novo Frantoio, named for the new olive oil press the family built, is fruity and moderately pungent.
Antheo (an-tey-o) extra virgin olive oil comes from the slopes of ancient volcanoes near Ragusa in the southeastern corner of Sicily. The D.O.P. (Protected Designation of Origin) designation recognizes the unique properties of extra virgin olive oil made from the region’s Tonda Iblei, Moresca, and Verdese olives. Antheo D.O.P. is very fruity and pungent, with hints of freshly cut grass and artichokes.
A cooperative of nearly 1000 families produces Madre Terra extra virgin oil among ancient Greek ruins along the southwest coast of Sicily. Made from Cerasuola, Biancolilla and Nocellara olives, Madre Terra is fruity, grassy, and moderately pungent. Our most popular Italian oil.
Wellspent Market founder Jim Dixon was recently featured in Saveur Magazine, weighing in on the nuances of dried pasta. The big takeaway: bronze dies make all the difference. Lucky for you, we sell a wide range of dried, bronze-die-extruded pastas, including those made with heirloom wheat varieties, the recently hard-to-findbucatini, and even a few gluten-free options. Check out the Saveur piece here, and peruse our complete pasta offerings here.
If you haven’t heard, we’re now open everyday from 11am to 7pm, so you’ve got even more time to find the perfect gift. That said, we’ll be closing early on Christmas Eve and taking the 25th and 26th off. Holiday hours are as follows: 11am-3pm December 24th, closed December 25th and 26th.
And for those of you shopping online, be sure to get your orders in by this Friday the 17th so we can make sure those tasty treats reach your loved ones before the holiday.
Still need a gift? Check out our holiday gift guide! Show someone you love how to make life better with a delicious gift. Whether you’re shopping for a dedicated cook or an enthusiastic eater, we’ve got you covered.
