Over a glass of wine late one afternoon at Purple Café and Wine Bar I had the pleasure of meeting Enzo Schiano, a former Microsoft marketing heavyweight turned olive-oil producer and winemaker in Tuscany. Schiano and wife Claire Beliard (a native of France) make Poggio la Noce extra virgin artisan olive oil at their hillside estate in Fiesole, Italy.

Schiano, a native of Naples, Italy, who studied in the United States before joining Microsoft, has been making olive oil in his groves (2,000 trees farmed organically!) situated above Florence since 2001. This year I tasted his “olio nuovo,” or “new” oil that had been pressed just a week or so before he returned stateside.

As you might expect of a just-pressed extra virgin oil, it was a vivid green color, redolent of aromas and flavors of new-mown grass, fresh herbs, and a bit of pepper, yet still smooth and satin-y. Yum!

The oil, which sells for $24.99 for a stylish 500-ml bottle, is sold at Whole Foods Market, some Metropolitan Market locations, DeLaurenti Specialty Food & Wine, QFC, and online at the Poggio Web site, so you should have no problem finding it.

Enzo is also a winemaker, and his delightful Gigiò wine, a Sangiovese blend, is available locally at McCarthy & Schiering Wine Merchants (which also carries the olive oil). I’d buy it for the whimsical label alone, not to mention the lovely wine inside.

This time of year, these Italian treats with a Northwest tie would make lovely holiday or hostess gifts.