The best olive oil in Madrid

Just some of the more than 80 Spanish olive oils available at Patrimonio Comunal Olivarero in Madrid.

I mentioned yesterday that at lunch with Carlos Falcó, the Marqués de Griñón, and his daughter, Xandra, we had a lovely squash soup whose earthy notes were highlighted with a dousing of a very fresh, very herbal olive oil that just happened to be produced by the Marqués as well. We got to talking about olive oil (I’m a bit nuts about the stuff) and he suggested that back in Madrid, I stop in at Patrimonio Comunal Olivarero, an olive oil cooperative housed in a 19^th-century building in the trendy Chueca district.

So that was the first thing I did Monday morning. There manager Pedro Javier Rodrigo was flitting around the smallish-shop extolling the virtues of a fruity oil from Cordoba, called Parqueoliva, to a pair of very stylish-looking Italian women. The women were looking for a dipping oil and Rodrigo said this one, made from the aromatic arbequina olives from Siurana, was the best.

After the women had made their purchase, I asked him if he carried the extra virgin oil from the Marqués de Griñón. Of course, he said. He told me that many bodegas also produce excellent olive oil. “Grapes and olives are closely related.”

I bought some of the Marqués’ olive oil, which comes in a dark, Bordeaux-style bottle, as well as the cold-pressed Parqueoliva oil. I have a feeling that neither will make it home with me.

Patrimonio Comunal Olivarero, Calle Mejía Lequerica, 1, (34-91) 308-0505, is closed Sundays.