All Of Oils, Wholesome Oils & Vinegars

Most shops make you guess. All Of Oils lets you taste first. Its Douglas Crescent tasting room has olive oils and balsamic vinegars lined up for sampling, so you can try a peppery oil next to a buttery one, or a dark balsamic next to a white, before you buy a bottle.

The extra virgin olive oils are labelled by olive variety, where they’re from and the date they were crushed, which is a good guide to how fresh it is. There are flavoured oils too, like Tuscan Herb and Gremolata, and dark and white balsamics infused with fruit and herbs. If you’re buying a gift, the four-bottle sampler sets are the easy answer: four 60 ml bottles for $26, or a bread-dipping set for $41.25. Reviewers mostly mention the flavours and how willing the staff are to help put together a mix.

Kimm Brickman-Pineau and Glenn Pineau were running it when West Coast Food profiled them in 2016. Their pitch then was the same as now: import good oil, explain where it comes from, and let people taste it. The company dates back to 2013 and still has just two independently owned shops, this one and one in South Surrey.

Good to know: Walk-ins are welcome to taste. Group tastings need booking ahead. It’s open Monday to Saturday 10 to 5 and Sunday noon to 4. Call 604-510-6655.

It’s a few doors from The Creative Bookworm and Valley Natural Health. For a downtown afternoon, the Langley City guide has the rest.