Drizzled on crisp winter greens, slathered on toasty rustic bread or whisked into a flavorful aioli, we can’t live without extra-virgin olive oil. January begins the release of oils from 2008’s winter harvest; it’s the perfect opportunity to try this ultra simple and sophisticated staple.

The Mediterranean region produces 95% of the world’s olive oil, though olive groves are now popping up all over California, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and South America. So how do you decipher the terms found on olive oil bottles from far-flung locations? The International Olive Oil Council is a good place to start. It sets quality and labeling requirements for its members, and many non-member producers use the IOOC’s labeling terms since they refer to strict production standards.

We recommend extra-virgin olive oil for most uses. According to the IOOC, extra-virgin must be produced from cold pressing of the olives and must contain no more than 0.8 percent acidity. Virgin olive oil is produced the same way but is allowed to have acidity between .09-2.0 percent; neither extra-virgin nor virgin oils are allowed to contain any refined oil.

Pure, lite, light or pomace olive oil has been refined chemically or with heat; pure olive oil often has a small amount of virgin oil added to it to improve color and flavor, but none of these forms tastes remotely as good as a cold-pressed olive oil. A quick price comparison will tell you what this flavor and quality are worth!

Olive oil’s flavors are influenced by location, climate, varietal, soil and growing conditions. Riper olives yield mellower oil; olives harvested green produce a grassier, more herbal style. Part of the fun is trying oils from different parts of the world and deciding which style you like best. A few brands we love:

• Petaluma’s McEvoy Ranch Olio Nuovo: the very first olives harvested, pressed and bottled unfiltered—zesty!  http://www.mcevoyranch.com
• Mendocino County’s Stella Cadente, which also produces blood orange, lime, and meyer lemon agrumato oils (the olives are pressed together with the citrus rind for amazing flavor)  http://www.stellacadente.com
• Napa Valley’s Round Pond, an organic estate in the heart of cabernet country  http://www.roundpond.com
• Some great imports found at http://www.zingermans.com