Holiday Party at Bondolio Olive Farm, Dec 14 in Winters

 

Rain or shine, we can’t wait to visit Malcolm and Karen Bond’s frantoio (olive mill) in Winters for their lively holiday party. The star of the event is always the Bond’s olio nuovo (new olive oil), which is both prized and extremely limited. We’ve attended in all kinds of weather, but it’s always fun to gather on the patio next to the olive grove where a fire crackles in a huge outdoor fireplace and the wood-burning oven cranks out pizzas. We enjoy greeting friends, tasting the Bond’s newly made olive oils and other artisanal delights, and shopping for culinary gifts.

The 2025 Bondolio Holiday Open House takes place on Sunday, December 14 from 10 am to 4 pm. Admission is free (except for purchases) and no reservations are necessary. Most activities are outside on the patio and in the open-air part of the frantoio. Guided tastings and shopping are available inside.

Here’s our guide to the event:

1. First, take a moment to admire the gorgeous organic olive grove setting.
2. Then place your order for one of Malcolm’s pizzas made in the outdoor wood-burning oven. You’ll want to try it drizzled with olio nuovo. The pizzas, along with wines, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages, are available for purchase and enjoyment on the patio.
3. At the tasting room, get your name on the list for a guided tasting of the 2025 Bondolio Olio Nuovo, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Mandarin Orange Olive Oil, and Hatch Chile Olive Oil.
4. Now head to the frantoio shed, where you can meet food writer and book author Georgia Freedman and sample a recipe from her newest cookbook, SNACKING DINNERS: 50+ Recipes for Low-Lift, High-Reward Dinners That Delight. The book is an ode to the joys of snacking meals with recipes that pull from a global pantry and reference snacking and light-meal traditions from across the globe. Read our review of Snacking Dinners here.
5.  There’s lots more to taste inside the frantoio shed: Allison McQuade’s artisan Celtic Chutneys will be available for sampling with cheese and crackers. Enjoy tastes of French-inspired low-alcohol aperitifs handcrafted by L’Apéro les Trois from Berryessa Gap wines, which are infused with fruit from historic Winters orchards. Returning this year will be The HIVE of Woodland, offering a honey tasting, and Runamok will offer samples of their popular organic maple syrups from Vermont.
6. Finish up at the frantoio marketplace, where you can purchase culinary gifts and confections from Italy, Spain, and France, along with cookbooks, artisan pantry staples, and gifts for the home.
7. Now head to the patio to see if your pizza is ready!

A portion of proceeds from the event 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.

Bondolio Olive Farm Holiday Party
Sunday, December 14, 10am–4pm
9352 Campbell Rd, Winters CA
916.715.9007 | bondolio.com

Event website