Sapore Artisanal Oils & Vinegars

[Pat]

I felt like I was walking into a parfumerie or a fancy makeup store when I stepped into this shop. It's on the 600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, on the North side of the street. It recently opened and I'd been hearing about people being mesmerized and spending more money than they intended to spend. Okay, I did too .

Everything is laid out for tasting. You can spear bread cubes into the oils and vinegars or drink them. Given the amount of calories in olive oil, I wasn't up for drinking too much, but being able to taste everything is great. I wanted to taste the chocolate balsamic vinegar, but it was out. The people who did try it seemed to like it. Maybe it's just too popular. I'm sure they'll get it back in stock.

I loved the walnut oil, which just couldn't have been finer. It tasted like toasted walnuts--a really pure, clear flavor with nothing muddy about it. My second favorite was the chile oil with ingredients from Chile. It wasn't super hot on first tasting but had a pleasant mild burn that lasted for quite a while. The third oil I bought (in addition to these two) was the first one I tasted--an extra virgin orange oil. The owner (I assume she was the owner) said that they crush entire oranges in when they make this. That would explain why it wasn't too sweet. It had a lovely rounded taste. I'm thinking of this for baking and salad dressing. Based on what another customer said, the Champagne Citrus/Mimosa vinegar is also good in salad dressing.

The also have other products, such as pasta and salts.

Sapore

660 Pennsylvania Ave., SE

202-544-4133

www.saporeoilandvinegar.com

[saf]

So, there's a place in Bar Harbor: http://fioreoliveoils.com/

We bought amazing olive oils and balsamic vinegars there, including one that sounds like the orange described above.

I cannot figure out if they are buying from the same sources. Does anyone know?

[hillvalley]

I've seen stores like this in a number of places including Asheville, NC. The set up is always the same with unusual oils and vinegars as well as good quality olive oils. The truffle oil I have bought was as good and not out as expensive as other truffle oils I have had in the past.

[Pat]

Brick and mortar location closing after December 31st. Going to internet only.

[saf]

And now, I need to find another, similar, place. I really prefer to taste the stuff before I buy!

[porcupine]

11 hours ago, saf said:

And now, I need to find another, similar, place. I really prefer to taste the stuff before I buy!

Try All Things Olive, who are sadly no longer at Union Market but are still at a few farmers' markets.