Durant’s Olio Nuovo Festival Is Next Month in Dayton, Oregon

I received an email from the folks at Durant at Red Ridge Farms about their Olio Nuovo Festival next month. Durant happens to be Oregon’s only commercial olive mill, founded in 2008 in Dayton, right there in the Willamette wine country. Back during Salad Week I spent some time in the wine country, which was stunning and full deliciousness—and is closer to Portland than I originally thought.

I find the idea of a monthlong olive oil festival really appealing, and I am here to tell you about what’s going on in November at Durant in celebration of this liquid gold.

A Bit About Durant

They started out in 1973—over 50 years ago—focusing on wine, and are known for their Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Brut, and Pinot Noir wines. They founded their olive mill 35 years later, and they have 15 acres of olive trees and a state-of-the-art Italian olive mill. Their grounds also include gardens, hedges, and plenty of rosemary, lavender, and other herbs.

In 2025, Durant’s olive oil was ranked number 9 in the world by the Olive Oil Times.

The 16th Annual Olio Nuovo Festival

This is Durant’s 16th year doing this festival, as a way to celebrate the first olive oil pressing each year at the estate. Along with the oil itself, there will be Italian-inspired food and wine pairings, and “seasonal culinary experiences,” which they hope will encourage you to relax and enjoy their olive oil, wine, and food in the estate’s bucolic surroundings.

“The olive harvest is one of the most special times of the year here at Durant,” said owner Paul Durant. “It’s a chance for us to welcome guests into our world to taste the season’s first oil, enjoy seasonal food and wine, and celebrate the makers, chefs, and small businesses who make this region so vibrant. The Olio Nuovo Festival is as much about community as it is about the olive oil harvest.”

What To Expect During the Olio Nuovo Festival

In short, there will be plenty to experience all month—and there are both free and ticketed events. First, here are the ticketed events, which include Feast Olio, as well as combined wine and olive oil tastings.

Feast Olio

Feast Olio takes place on the first four Saturdays of the month—November 1, 8, 15, and 22—from noon to 2:30pm. Tickets are $180 and seating is limited. Reservations are available here on their Tock page.

This is one of the aformentioned seasonal culinary experiences. You’ll get to tour the Durant Olive Mill with a glass of Durant Vineyards sparkling wine in hand. After that you’ll get to enjoy a 7-course olive oil-centric Italian meal, complete with wine pairings. Durant’s resident chefs, Eric Bartle and Sara Kundelius, will prepare the meal.

As for what they’ll serve, there is an example menu on the Tock page—fish and shellfish, pasta, meat, and vegetables are some of the things they are considering. I do hope they offer the “Durant Olive Oil Cake with Seasonal Fruit and Whipped Mascarpone” for this meal, because yum.

Oeno & Olio Tasting

These special tastings of wine (oeno) and olive oil (olio) happen on the first four weekends of November—so, November 1 & 2, 8 & 9, 15 & 16, and 22. The event starts at 11am and goes until 1pm. Tickets are $63 per person and seating is limited. Reservations are available here on their Tock page.

This will be a communal tasting, and it is accompanied by fresh bruschetta. It’s a lovely opportunity to get to know Durant’s wines and extra virgin olive oils together.

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The majority of planned events during the Olio Nuovo Festival happen to be free to attend.

Community Mill Day During the Olio Nuovo Festival

This happens on one day during the month—Sunday, November 16 at 10am. It’s free to attend but they ask you to make a reservation (there is room for just 35 persons). Reservations are available here on their Tock page.

Do you have as little as two gallons of olives? Bring ’em here!

“Inspired by traditional community milling days in the Mediterranean, this event is designed for small-scale growers who don’t meet the 1,000-pound minimum for Custom Milling—all you need is just 2 gallons of olives! Join for this special, hands-on experience celebrating Olio, as we combine everyone’s harvest to create a fresh, seasonally unique Extra Virgin Olive Oil.” You can pick up your olive oil on Sunday, December 7.

Olio Nuovo Festival Mill Tours

I learned a new term: “olioteca,” which is an olive oil mill and tasting room. Tours of the olive mill are offered daily throughout the month of November—Monday to Friday at 11 am; Saturday and Sundays at 11 am and 2 pm. Tours are free but reservations are required, which you can make here on their Tock page.

The tour offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it is to grow olives in the PNW. Plus you get to see the mill do its thing. However:

“For visitors’ safety, the mill will be blocked off while the mill and large equipment is running, but guests will be able to see the operation in action and taste the fresh Olio Nuovo (new oil).”

Self-Guided Olive Oil Tasting

This happens at the Durant Farm Shop, and it’s free (though bottles of olive oil are not). You can guide yourself though the various samples of freshly milled extra virgin olive oil, which really can differ in taste depending on what kind of olives they used. There will also be staff on hand to offer cooking and pairing advice during your tasting experience.

Olio Food & Wine Pavilion + Holiday Marketplace

Listen, taste, and shop: On the weekends in November from 10am to 4pm you can enjoy live music, Durant Vineyards wine, and Italian food from local restaurants in their heated Food & Wine Pavilion at the Durant Tasting Room. Also, their nursery and greenhouses will be decked out for the season. Plus you can buy gifts early for the holidays at the Holiday Marketplace—art, makers, and foodstuffs.

Olio Nuovo Festival Grand Finale

On Saturday and Sunday, November 29 and 30 from 10am to 4pm, the farm will be extra festive. It’s both the end of the month-long olive oil festival and the start of the holiday season (it’s the weekend after Thanksgiving).

Their “Oysters & Olio” (freshly shucked oysters with a drizzle of olio) sounds absolutely delicious. And for those of you who enjoy sparkling wines, two new ones from the Durant Vineyards will debut. Plus they’ll be hosting a fundraiser with Pictures with Santa, featuring the See Ya Later Foundation (a non-profit dedicated to providing sports camps, scholarships, and support for families facing serious medical challenges) is happening at the same time.

For additional information and the full lineup of Olio Nuovo Festival events, head to Durant’s website.

16th Annual Olio Nuovo Festival
Durant Olive Mill, Durant at Red Ridge Farms
5700 NE Breyman Orchards Rd, Dayton
November 1 to 30, 2025
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