Rhodes olive oil tasting runs at groves and mills in the villages inland, where island oil is poured beside bread, olives and cheese. Plan the rest of the trip with Greece Tours.
What does a Rhodes olive oil tasting include?
Three extra virgin olive oils including a top Greek award winner, two oils infused with Greek herbs, two types of Greek olives, two olive pastes, a live experiment testing olive oil quality and acidity, local bread, water, and five local wines on the 3-in-1 experience.
Guests learn how olive oil is produced.
They learn what determines its quality.
They taste award-winning oils from international competitions.
They sample local organic oil from Rhodes.
They learn to smell, taste and judge oil like a professional.
They learn the difference between authentic and commercial oils.
Where do olive oil tastings take place on Rhodes?
At a family winery near Butterfly Valley and the village of Theologos, also called Tholos, on the west coast, and at an olive grove on the outskirts of Soroni, 27 kilometres from Rhodes town and 16 kilometres from the airport.
Theologos lies about 19 kilometres from the capital.
It is part of the municipal unit of Petaloudes.
The Soroni grove sits 1.5 kilometres from the sea.
North-west winds keep the grove fresh in summer.
The grove is signposted from the village bakery.
Address details are sent after booking.
How long does a Rhodes olive oil tasting take?
About 90 minutes to two hours for the olives, olive oil and wine tasting, two and a half to three hours for the Soroni grove tour and tasting, and three and a half hours when the 11-course meze lunch is added.
The lunch version starts at 11:00.
It runs every day of the week.
Booking at least one day ahead is required for the lunch version.
The tasting runs from April to October on one platform.
Another listing shows it running all year.
Tastings fit a morning before the beach.
What is the live olive oil experiment?
Free acidity is a key measure of olive oil quality.
It is expressed as a percentage of oleic acid.
Extra virgin oil must have a free acidity below 0.8 per cent under EU rules.
Virgin olive oil ranges from 0.8 to 2 per cent.
Lampante oil above 2 per cent is not edible.
Guests see the difference in the results.
What is extra virgin olive oil?
The highest grade of olive oil, pressed from whole olives, with a free acidity below 0.8 per cent under EU rules, and the grade guests learn to recognise on a Rhodes olive oil tasting.
Olive oil is made by pressing whole olives.
It consists mainly of oleic acid.
Its character varies with cultivar, altitude, harvest time and extraction.
Greece is one of the world’s largest producers.
Olive trees have been grown around the Mediterranean since the 8th millennium BC.
The olive is one of three core plants of Mediterranean cooking with wheat and grapes.
What olive varieties does the tasting cover?
Oils from the main Greek cultivars at the Soroni grove, with five or more samples depending on interest, including Koroneiki, the small-fruited olive that covers 50 to 60 per cent of olive acreage in Greece and gives a high quality oil yield.
Koroneiki suits high-density groves worldwide.
Its fruits are small.
Award-winning labels feature in the tasting.
Infused oils carry local herbs.
Table olives are tasted alongside.
Olive pastes show another use of the fruit.
What is the Soroni grove tour?
Topics cover quality and health benefits.
The tasting method is explained step by step.
Snacks come from the village bakery.
Spring water cleans the palate.
The grove sits beside the forest.
The tour suits food lovers and nature walkers.
What is the wine part of the 3-in-1 experience?
A guided tasting of five local wines from a family-owned vineyard on Rhodes, with basic tasting techniques and the story of the family and Rhodian winemaking, following the olive and olive oil tasting.
The wines come from a private vineyard.
Guests learn local grape varieties.
The tasting is relaxed and informative.
It completes a picture of Rhodian food.
Non-drinkers skip the wine.
The valley has its own page at Rhodes Butterfly Valley.
What is the 11-course meze lunch?
A traditional Greek meze meal served with vineyard views after the tasting, mostly vegetarian and made with seasonal produce, with tzatziki, aubergine salad, wild greens, dolmades, spicy cheese spread, cheese balls, Greek salad, briam, fried feta, meatballs and fried potatoes, with unlimited local wine.
Mineral water and local bread come with the meal.
Gluten-free and other needs are arranged at booking.
The lunch version takes up to 50 guests.
It suits couples, families and solo travellers.
Pets on a leash are welcome.
The venue is wheelchair accessible.
Is a Rhodes olive oil tasting good for families?
Children skip the wine.
Bread and olives suit young tastes.
The grove gives space to walk.
Lunch is mostly vegetarian.
Groups up to 20 join the shorter tasting.
Private tastings suit families.
How do you get to the tastings?
By car or by the shuttle arranged with the operator: the Butterfly Valley winery lies near Theologos on the west coast, and the Soroni grove is 27 kilometres from Rhodes town, near the main road, turning at the local bakery.
Pickup can be arranged on request.
Guests with a car drive themselves.
The airport lies 16 kilometres from the Soroni grove.
Addresses are sent after booking.
The shuttle service is booked with the tasting.
What is the cancellation policy?
On one listing, a full refund for cancellations 72 hours or more ahead, 50 per cent between 24 and 72 hours, and none later, while the lunch version offers free cancellation until one day before.
Operators refund in full if they cancel.
Changes depend on availability.
Booking confirmations are kept to hand.
Terms differ between platforms.
Operators are contacted for changes.
Refund timing follows each listing.
How do you book a Rhodes olive oil tasting?
Book online through the operator’s website, chat or email, or on the booking platforms, choosing the 90-minute tasting, the tasting with meze lunch or the grove tour, and arranging transfer and dietary needs at booking.
The lunch version needs a day’s notice.
The shorter tasting takes up to 19 or 20 guests.
The grove tour is booked by message.
Tastings can be arranged at your accommodation.
Confirmation gives the address.
The food side of the island sits at Rhodes food tour.
Where does a Rhodes olive oil tasting take place?
At groves and mills in the villages of the interior, around Archangelos, Laerma and the hills behind the east coast, where terraces of old trees run between pine woods.
Rhodes grows olives on limestone slopes away from the coast.
The trees are spaced wide on dry ground.
Most mills lie within an hour of Rhodes Town.
What happens on a Rhodes olive oil tasting?
A walk through the grove, an explanation of the harvest and the pressing, then a seated tasting of oils with bread, cheese and tomato.
Oils are poured from the mildest to the strongest.
Hosts explain acidity, bitterness and the peppery finish.
Bottles and tins are sold at the mill.
When is the olive harvest on Rhodes?
From November into January, with the fruit picked onto nets and pressed the same day.
Early picking gives sharper, greener oil.
Later picking gives a higher yield and a milder taste.
Mills run through the winter months.
What else is tasted with the oil?
Local cheese, honey, olives, bread, wine from the island vineyards and souma, the local spirit.
Vineyards sit on the slopes of Mount Attavyros.
Honey comes from thyme and pine.
Village bakeries supply the bread for the table.
How long does a Rhodes olive oil tasting take?
About two hours at a mill and half a day when a village walk or a winery stop is added.
Transport is arranged from Rhodes Town and the resorts.
Groups stay small at the family mills.
Visits run through the year, with pressing in winter.
Does a Rhodes olive oil tasting suit families?
Yes. The grove walk is short and level, the tasting is seated and the food suits children.
Children eat bread with oil rather than tasting oil alone.
Tables are set in shade in summer.
Mills are working buildings, so the group stays together inside.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is an olive oil tasting in Rhodes?
What makes an olive oil extra virgin?
Under EU rules, a free acidity below 0.8 per cent, which the tasting’s live experiment shows guests how to measure.
Is transport included?
No, but a shuttle can be arranged on request with the operator.