Bondolio Holiday Open House, December 10 in Winters

At Bondolio Olive Farm in Winters. (Photo by Judy Doherty)

One of our holiday-season habits is to go out to this lively party at Malcolm and Karen Bond’s olive orchard and mill in Winters. Having attended more than once on a rainy day, we know that whatever the weather, we’ll have fun. We’ll gather under the huge umbrellas on the patio, where a fire crackles in a huge outdoor fireplace and the wood-burning oven cranks out pizzas (with Malcolm Bond’s help, of course.). We’ll enjoy greeting friends, tasting the Bond’s fresh olive oils and many other artisanal delights, and shopping for culinary gifts from California, Vermont, France, and Italy.

The party happens this year on Sunday, December 10 from 10 am to 4 pm, rain or shine. Everyone is welcome, admission is free, and no reservations are necessary. Most activities are outside on the patio and in an open-air shed. Guided tastings and shopping are available inside the tasting room and mill.

Here’s our guide to the event:

1. First, take a moment to admire the gorgeous olive orchard setting.
2. Enter the mill shed—reminiscent of a Sicilian frantoio—where you can celebrate the treasure of this year’s olive harvest, the 2023 Olio Nuovo. This fresh new olive oil is prized and extremely limited, but you’ll get to taste it along with the Bondolio 2023 Extra Virgin Olive Oil and 2023 Mandarin Orange Olive Oil.
3. Place your order for one of Malcolm’s pizzas made in the outdoor wood-burning oven. You’ll want to try it drizzled with the new oil. The pizzas, along with wines, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages, are available for purchase and enjoyment on the patio.
4. From 11am to 1pm, you’ll have the chance to meet nationally acclaimed chef and author Tanya Holland, as she signs copies of her California Soul: Recipes from a Culinary Journey West and invites guests to sample one of her signature recipes.
5. You can also taste the artisan Celtic Chutneys by maker Allison McQuade. She always has several to try with cheese and crackers.
6. Next, enjoy tastes of French-inspired aperitifs handcrafted by L’Apéro les Trois from Berryessa Gap wines and infused with fruit from historic Winters orchards.
7. New this year is a honey tasting from Woodland’s The HIVE.
8. A huge favorite is the tasting with Runamok, a Vermont crafter who shares an array of flavors of their popular organic maple syrups.
9. The marketplace inside the mill offers culinary gifts and confections from Italy, Spain, and France, along with cookbooks, artisan pantry staples, and gifts for the home. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Angel Flight West, where volunteer pilots fly people in need to medical appointments at no cost to the passenger.

Visit bondolio.com for more information. The Bondolio Olive Farm is located at 9352 Campbell Road about 5 miles east of downtown Winters.