For those who haven't experienced the startling deliciousness of newly pressed and year-fresh olive oil, now is the time to try. Growers from Ojai to the Bay Area have finished pressing, blending and bottling their 2003-04 oils and are now releasing them. They are so good, it is even the time to prefer local oils over the best Italian imports. The reason: Olive oil is a fruit juice. Freshness is all. Straight from the press, it is wild, sometimes harsh and spicy for the first 90 days. For the next year, it is beautifully fresh and fruity-tasting. Past that, age fates the oil to loss of fruit and creeping rancidity. Rot sets in faster when bottles are displayed in the sun or near the stove instead of where they belong: a cool dark place.

The new California oils are extra virgin and all that, but much better than most European imports, particularly the suspiciously cheap "extra virgin" ones sold in most food stores. Buy cheaper oils to grease the omelet pan. But pay premium for California-grown new-release olive oils for garnishing soups, cheeses, fish and salads. Or use it to rediscover pesto. Don't be stingy with them and, whatever you do, don't save them for special occasions. Pour generously and often.

For information, contact the California Olive Oil Council at (888) 718-9830 or http://www.cooc.com

Stella Cadente 2003 Autumn Harvest

From an autumn harvest of classic Tuscan olive types and smooth old-style Mission olives. Stella Cadente is Italian for Shooting Star, the Boonville ranch where the oil is made — and an apt label for this peppery and herbaceous oil that's good for garnishes.

$18 for 375 milliliters. Order at http://www.stellacadente.com or at (707) 895-2848.