I participated in the Newport Foodies Stroll on Saturday, August 17, 2024. On this tour, we stopped at Virgin & Aged Gourmet Oils & Vinegars to sample their Fig Balsamic Vinegar and Garlic Olive Oil. The Garlic Olive Oil is their most popular one. I really liked it and could imagine dipping bread into it. My group came back to Virgin & Aged Gourmet Oils & Vinegars after the tour to purchase some oils and honey. Because of the tour, we get 10% off our purchases. The store is very spacious and not only just sell artisanal imported olive oils and balsamic vinegars from around the world, but they also sell other locally made gourmet items like honey. Service was wonderful and friendly. Beth Remy is the owner and welcomed us into the store and was able to provide recommendations. read more

Virgin & Aged - Fig Balsamic Vinegar and Garlic Olive Oil - Olive Oil Near Me - Newport, Rhode Island

Broad selection of plain and seasoned oils and vinegars make great gifts. I love that they offer tastes to help make your selection! Check out their homemade Little Rhody Pasta as well. Pleasant, knowledgeable staff, and the owner, Andrea, is super nice. read more

I come here every time I visit Newport and will also give my friends and family money to buy me my favorite oils and vinegars when they visit Newport too! My favorite vinegar is the cranberry pear white balsamic vinegar. I would recommend it on an arugula salad with Gorgonzola or blue cheese. I got the fig balsamic vinegar this time and think it would taste good on many different types of salads. The Tuscan herb olive oil is a must. Would be delicious with bread to dip! I usually put it on mozzarella and tomato and it tastes so well. Works really well too if you don't have basil for a caprese salad. Can't wait to use this for a while and will be planning our next visit for more soon read more

I try hard to keep my shopping local if possible (some things I simply cannot find here) and this store is one where I purchase as many Christmas gifts as I can, because, well, who doesn't use olive oil and vinegar?!! They also carry other gift-y items from local cottage industries. And to top it off, Andrea the owner is wonderful! The other day I also got some of their home-made paste which we had for dinner and, oh-so-delicious! They can ship things for you too! One of my favorite gift items is the four-pack of olive oils and vinegars, tastefully packaged, with a variety of combinations for anyone on your list. I highly recommend! Oh and they also sell at the Saturday Farmer's Market at Stoneacre. A local treasure for sure. read more

We had a great time tasting olive oils and vinegars. Service was great and so were the products. A little pricey but worth it.

Starting December, the Virgin and Aged has a new owner. They are enthusiastic and friendly. The quality of olive oils and vinegars are outstanding. I don't know how can you consume these products and go back to store brought products. Try it yourself, you will understand what we experience! read more

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I was thrilled to see that after four years when my husband and I first came here that this shop is still open. I contacted the owner via email to ensure that it would be open as it isn't really high season yet. When I stopped in after a long run just before closing, the owner was welcoming and tended to my every whim. I tasted several new seasonal balsamic vinegars like dark cherry chocolate balsamic and confirmed that I still liked the blood orange, fig etc. She has so many infused olive oils that you could be here for hours tasting. The shop is laid out well and designed to taste from the stainless barrels with nozzles to self serve in small plastic cups. My favorite olive oils are still the Tuscan Herb and Herbes de Provence. I bought several bottles which were wrapped nicely in tissue and picked up some sample gift boxes for some house gifts I needed. I just love the concept here and the owner is really hands on. Looking forward to an excuse to come back and soon! read more

My first experience in a store like this was Saratoga Olive Oil Company (Saratoga Springs, NY). That place set a very, VERY high bar for me. Virgin & Aged probably doesn't have half the options, nor is it nearly as inviting, but the 20 or so options they do have are solid. They also do gift pack samplers and offer discounts, but you have to buy 10 bottles, I think, to get an 11th for free. My only gripe is they don't offer bread to soak up their offerings. Instead they just give you tiny paper cups and expect you to drink it. It wouldn't kill the place to contract with a local bakery. read more

Adorable little shop! They have a great assortment of vinegars and olive oils. The blueberry balsamic vinegar and the white truffle olive oil were standouts. They have tasting stations all over the store so you can sample all the different oils and vinegars. The customer service is also very good. Glad we stopped by! read more

We are frequent customers whenever in Newport. Great flavored balsamic vinegars and olive oils. Currently, we chose the blueberry balsamic, although we have bought strawberry, cherry and fig in the past. Love the oils...especially their two truffle varieties which are great to finish a yummy soup!!! This year, they have expanded their white balsamic into a bunch of new flavors. Best news is that you can sample everything before you buy!!! They make great gifts as well. read more

Overpriced rip off. Tasted one in the store and it was bitter and rancid. Balsamic was ok

Being a foodie, my husband & I stopped in. Love oils & balsamics. Staff welcomed us but stayed behind the counter. We were only customers. No offer of information or samples. We stayed & looked at nearly everything. Oooed & awed at descriptions. Still no one came over. Staff chatted among themselves. Friendliness lacking we left, stopped in other stores, & spent our cash elsewhere. Have many family members in food industry. Could have brought oils home as gifts. Loss of a sale at any time is sad. read more

Love the oils and vinegars available here. I also really appreciate the signs on each tank recommending pairings. I ended up purchasing the basil olive oil as well as the strawberry balsamic. However, I took off a star for the store's staff. I was told that I could sample only what I intended to purchase. How would I know what to purchase if I couldn't sample? And how can a tasting room be so rude about .... tasting? I noticed that a couple people felt uncomfortable and left. Okay, I'm sure that there will be people who intend to come in to taste a bunch of oils and leave. But, if you're kind to them, maybe they'll stay long enough to taste an oil that really tickles their fancy, and then (gasp) buy it! read more

This place has a very simple concept- provide high quality flavored and aged olive oils and vinegars (along with the related accouterments) and make sure that everything on offer is available to sample at will. Inside, there is row after row of gleaming stainless steel containers with nozzles that allow you to dispense whatever (and however much) your heart desires- like blood orange balsamic or fig flavored olive oil. The selection is very large, and there are more than enough basics to add to the numerous exotic flavors. The staff is knowledgable and helpful, and the place is clean and organized. We bought an olive oil and a balsamic and definitely intend to return when we are in the area again. read more

Absolutely brilliant!! This turns any dish or salad into your own gourmet treat. What a perfect place amongst great restaurants for this gem to shine. In fact, it would be great to see pairings amongst local restaurants to feature V&A oils/vinegars on their special dishes and salads. yum!! Don't miss this on your Newport holiday! read more

Great place!!! Fun and unique! I bought the garlic olive oil (perfect for cooking fish and poultry, pasta, bread, etc.). YUMMY!! It was a nice surprise to find a place like this. I'll definitely go again or order online! The only thing that would make it better is if they had some breads or crackers to taste test oils and vinegars with. I wasn't a huge fan of tasting them in the cups. read more

I had heard of similar places like this. It was very interesting. My wife does not have the stomach to try several oils and vinegars so my iron gut was called into action. I love the fact that you can try these like this. I had several oils and vinegars. We settled on purchases of the Blood Orange Extra Virgin, the Harissa Extra Virgin, and Espresso Balsamic. They are a little pricey but most specialty lines are like that. When I left, I was feeling slightly off from the several samples. When I woke up the next morning, I had an oil and vinegar hangover. Service is great, product is great, give it a try. If you are looking for something to bring home as a gift, this place is perfect. read more

The place was clean, well organized, and all products were clearly labeled including pairings. The staff gave us a quick overview and gave us the space we needed to make our choices. After a few choice tastings we decided to go with our favorites Harissa Olive Oil - chili peppers, garlic, and cumin Traditional 18 yr balsamic - aged in wood barrels from Italy I was also pleasantly surprised that the website gives all information as well as recipes for use. http://www.virginandaged.com read more

Virgin & Aged is a fun little specialty shop along Thames St. There is so much variety here whether you are interested in something spicy, sweet, nutty, or traditional. They have it. I've bought a couple bottles for myself, but more often I am stopping in to get a gift for a fellow foodie. I have always found the owner and staff to be warm and welcoming. I appreciate that they offer assistance but do not hover over me while I am browsing. You can help yourself and try any of the oil or vinegar flavors. Perhaps providing bread or crackers would be a good move. Virgin & Aged is smack dab in the heart of downtown Newport, so its the perfect place to pop into while you are making your way down Thames St. If you live nearby ask about their rewards program! read more

What's with these joints that try to be all things to all people? I mean, really. Do they need to sell olive oil AND vinegar? This place is a hoot. They've got about 3 dozen kinds of olive oil and and equal variety of balsamic vinegars! And that's it. Well, a few carafes for sale too. Talk about over exuberant product line diversification! Everything is available for tasting before you buy. Fascinating and fun. Honestly, I have my doubts about how long a place like this can pay Thames Street rent. If they make it through Labor Day I'll be amazed, so get down soon and check it out. It will probably be a long cold winter, but at least they can keep warm burning the oil. read more

Amazing! Oil tastings!? Can't get much better than that . . . well, unless they offered bread to go with it! If you're a foodie, you must check this place out. You can order online off their website which is an excellent holiday gift idea. read more

Located right downtown on Thames, the first thing you notice is the quaint sign with the catchy name. The shop itself is a minimalist, clean design, with dozens of shiny stainless steel vats with tasty varieties of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. In speaking with the owner, it's clear this is a labor of love for her, and she's very approachable and knowledgable about pairings. At first I thought it was odd that there was no bread or anything to "taste" the samples, but it actually allows you to really taste the infusions....my favorite is the dark chocolate balsamic vinegar and the blood orange olive oil...Divine! They are a new business, and it is tough to stay in business in Newport, especially through the winters, but they ship anywhere!! Definitely come check them out.....AND they give a military discount :-) read more

Excellent stuff. This place sells flavored olive oils and vinegar. Some of it is simply astounding. I've never had anything like it. Coconut Vinegar? Insanity! The store has a lot of these big silver vats, and you can take little paper cups and try whatever you'd like. But there's no bread to dip - it's just tiny sips of oil - which is kinda gross. Also, that's all they sell - so unless you really wanna drop a dime on expensive oils and vinegar, then this is just another cute shop to try when you're walking down the street. read more

Virgin & Aged - These are the tanks in the store. - Olive Oil Near Me - Newport, Rhode Island

I wanted to support local vendors in Newport. I decided to send gift baskets of olive oil and vinegar from Virgin & Aged to family members. I ordered online - it was so easy. Within 2 days, the recipients in Massachusetts received their order. Then the recipients in NH, Maine, and California received their orders within 5 days of my order. Everyone loved it! They said the baskets were beautifully done, and they couldn't wait to try the products. I am happy to spend money of local vendors during the pandemic, and love this product - something fun for Valentine's day. read more

It's school vacation week in RI an MA. Beautiful day and tons of shoppers in Newport. Yet... You're not open. Oh well. We'll have to find this year's supply elsewhere... read more

Virgin & Aged - Olive Oil Near Me - Newport, Rhode Island

A fun tip, don't get mad at customers for sampling if the entire store is dedicated to giving out free samples

This place was very cool upon entering, lots of oils and vinegars. I had my baby in a carrier and was sampling some oils and vinegars. On a couple I accidentally over poured out some oil so I was letting my son have tiny sips in between drinking from a bottle. After about 5 minutes of random sampling and looking around my husband found a vinegar he liked and went up front to purchase. The older lady working then asked in a rude tone if I planned on buying any oil. She said to me "I have to pay for all those samples you're nourishing your son with". I told her my husband was making a purchase and I walked out. How f'n rude! Don't have a business that gives out samples if you're going to complain about people taking samples. I told my husband and he was ready to go back in and return his purchase but we just left. Horrible customer service, don't give them your money. read more

Oils and vinegars were great. They had a lot of variety and nicely displayed with information. They have mini paper cups to sample but no bread. These types of shops are fairly popular and always have bread and cups. And most importantly I have never been made to feel uncomfortable about tasting. The staff was fine and pleasant for the most part but there was a definite tone and remark that "you are welcome to taste only if you plan to buy the oil" ... which ummm makes no sense because you taste it to determine IF you want to buy it! We did purchase 4 bottles but there are many other options for ouls and vinegars around both tourist destinations and near home that I would rather buy from. Or online of course. If you can't afford to offer the samples freely than dont offer them at all. read more

Very rude staff!! Went to look for a souvenir for my ill mother and was hovered over the whole time while in the store and was constantly being pestered to buy something. We left the store after being made to feel uncomfortable only to be literally chased down the street by a distressed employee who grabbed my arm and demanded to give her my empty free sample cup that I forgot to throw away. If you enjoy being manhandled buy an angry woman going through a midlife crisis, then this is the overpriced artisanal store for you! read more

My husband and I were in Newport, RI last month when we stumbled across this store. Intrigued by the offering of samples or olive oils & vinegars we went in. Tried many samples and settled on purchasing Chipotle Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Tahaitian Vanilla Balsamic Vinegar. We have been very happy with the Chipotle EVOO but the Vanilla Balsamic Vinegar just didn't taste the same as the sample we had in the store. In the store, it tasted more vanilla and dessert like...at home over brownies as suggested it tasted more vinegar. I called today and spoke to Beth, the proprietor, about returning the item. I no sooner had the words "Return" out of my mouth when she informed me they "don't do returns". In a very abrasive manner told me that they don't take back open food items, that there was no way the bottle I had could taste different from what we sampled in the store because the bottles are filled directly from the sample jars. When I explained that I just wasn't happy with it, could I exchange it for another, she again informed that they do not take back opened food items and proceeded to tell me that "Stop & Shop would not take back an open food product." When I said, "Oh yes, they have." she got flip with me and said, "Well good for them. They are a big corporation. I am not." Exactly my point. You being a small business I would think that you would want to give better customer service than this to me and make sure I was happy. She remained abrasive until I said that I would NEVER shop at her store again and I would be sure to tell ALL of my friends to never shop there. It was only then that she calmed down and was nice to me. Now she said she wanted me to be happy and if I brought it back to the store she would gladly exchange it for another. I, in turn, informed her that she had already put a bad taste in my mouth and that I would not be returning to the store. This has to be one of the top five rudest experiences, I have ever had with a store. I found it appalling and disgusting to be spoken to in the manner in which she spoke to me. For it to be with the store owner themselves left an even bitter taste to the whole experience. read more

We always pick up olive oil when we are in Newport. Great varied and diverse options. You cannot find such unique selections with detailed pairing options anywhere around. Definitely stop by and check it out. read more

Made a trip to Newport on a fine weather day. Newport is one of our favorite daytrip destinations. Last trip we found Aged & Virgin and tasted many varieties of both oil and vinegars with the urging and competant help of the employees. We purchased four bottles of products. Today we made another stop to replace the products that we enjoyed the most. Present were myself, My girlfriend, and her two daughters. My girlfriend decided to try a few more products with her girls. She carefully metered out small quantities of products into the small tasting cups, one flavor per child. She tasted 1 oil, and 1 vinegar. Much to our surprise this ilicited a comment from the owner. She said "dont drink it , take a very small taste of it, this costs me alot of money" This was after we told her we were repeat customers. We then halted our activity, against better judgement purchased a refill of the lemon olive oil that she likes, and concluded our visit to this establishment. We will not return. We have located on the internet a purveyor of the same type products in Mystic Village Shopping area, off I95 in Mystic Connecticut. We will be heading there to buy these types of products. read more

I tested the oils for purchase as they suggest and welcome, but I put them on my hands and face (and not even a lot mind you and only a bit of the oils that were plain) because my intended use is topically and for cooking as well. As I was purchasing an overpriced bottle of their oil, the cashier (owner?) chided me (as if I were a child) for testing her oil on my body saying they were expensive and cost her money. I told her I only used a little and tested only the plain ones - what difference does it make if I am tasting or applying to my face if you are encouraging testing? Rude - overpriced and snotty. It's olive oil not diamonds, lady. Sorry I even patronized and bought a bottle of your overpriced oil. What she should have said was "interesting use of the oil, hope you enjoy thank you - come again." Take a lesson, and treat your customers better and maybe they will return, but I guess you don't care as long as you get the tourists to buy your oils. Also, try hiring people who actually know about the oils and can answer basic questions about them and who understand polyphenols, fat content etc. read more