Description of olive oil, wildflower honey and balsamic vinegar tasting at the Seka Hills Olive Mill & Tasting Room in Brooks, CA.
The third and last stop on the SacTown Bites Capay Valley Farm Tour was the Seka Hills Olive Mill & Tasting Room. Earlier that day my friends and I had visited Capay Valley Lavender and Taber Ranch Vineyard & Event Center with our SacTown Bites tour group.
See related blog posts: Capay Valley Farm Tour and Capay Valley Lavender Farm and Taber Ranch – Capay Valley.
Seka Hills Olive Mill & Tasting Room
We arrived at the Seka Hills Olive Mill & Tasting Room shortly after passing the Cache Creek Casino Resort. Both facilities are owned by the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation.
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Note: There is a second Seka Hills Tasting room at the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg where Seka Hills wine is made. Tastings at this location include wine, olive oil and other specialty products.
See related blog post: Farm-to-Fork Uncorked – Old Sugar Mill
The tasting room facility is very attractive – a combination of rustic and modern. A glass wall on the far end allows one to look into the production facility and its custom-made Alfa Laval olive mill.
The tasting room/shop also has a wide variety of items for sale, including Seka Hill olive oil, wine, wildflower honey, balsamic vinegar, nuts, beef (sticks and jerky), hummus and pickled asparagus.
A wine tasting bar is to the right, as is a deli offering sandwiches, salads, etc. There are some tables scattered about for diners inside, plus there is a good-sized patio in the front of the tasting room with umbrella shaded tables.
Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar Tasting
Once our entire group was all present and accounted for, we made our way to the tasting table. We seated ourselves on stools, facing our Seka Hills hostess.
The tasting table had been prepared in advance. Ten small plastic cups were lined up in rows, containing five samples of olive oil, one of wildflower honey, and three of balsamic vinegar.
Our hostess was most informative, sharing with us information about each product we were tasting, as well as the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation’s extensive agricultural operation in the area. The tribe has over 22,000 acres in production and it is one of the most diverse farming operations in Yolo County.
Each of the olive oils was unique as they were made from the five varieties of olives grown by the tribe. It was difficult to decide which was my favorite, they were all very good.
The balsamic vinegars we tasted also each had a unique flavor profile. I enjoyed all of them. It was difficult to decide which was my favorite, the fig, pomegranate or elderberry.
Seka Hills Tasting Room Shop
After the tasting I purchased the Picual EVOO (8.4 fl.oz./$15) The Picual EVOO has a distinctive aroma – of tomato leaf. In other words, it smells like the leaves of tomatoes as you separate the tomatoes from the vine! With a delicate to medium intensity, the Picual EVOO will be perfect for salads and drizzling.
I also purchased the elderberry balsamic vinegar (8.4 fl.oz./$13). I am looking forward to making good use of both the olive oil and balsamic vinegar this summer!
Wine & Charcuterie
At the conclusion of the tasting, we made our way to the bar for a glass of wine. Six wines were offered, of which I chose the 2020 Sauvignon Blanc. The group then made its way to the outside patio to enjoy the view while sipping our wine. It was not long before several charcuterie platters were brought out to the table, a perfect finish to a most enjoyable tour of the beautiful Capay Valley.
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Have you visited the Seka Hills Olive Mill & Tasting Room? What was your experience?
Seka Hills Olive Mill & Tasting Room Snapshot:
- 19326 Rd 78, Brooks, CA 95606
- (530) 796-2810
- Open: Wednesday – Sunday (11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
- Closed: Monday & Tuesday
- Gift shop, deli
- Groups of 10 or more can book tastings and tours of the olive mill and orchards
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