Olive oil lovers took part in the three-day cultural event “La degustatrice di olio d’oliva,” held in the municipality of Alghero, Sardinia.

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The 6th edition of the event closed on May 4 with its traditional tasting contest.

“The competition is growing in popularity,” said an organizer, “notably attracting Japanese and German nationals.”

The contest had two main sections: A practical one that measured the ability of candidates to differentiate among the variety, origin, intensity and defects of extra virgin oil; and a theoretical one with 35 multiple choice questions on topics including techniques for olive cultivation and labeling norms of olive oil oil products.

Professional Italian olive oil tasters, all from regions outside Sardinia, outperformed nonprofessional local tasters and made it to the 3 steps of the podium.

Stefano Lubrano

“This not just about the characteristics of the local olive oil production; it involves other synergetic elements such as the degustation and the regional ecosystem,” says Stefano Lubrano, president of the natural park of Porto Conte.

Another purpose of this edition was to teach about the benefits of olive oil to the youngest. Children from the primary school of Santa Maria La Palma went on an exploratory journey in which they learned about their territory, and the importance of a healthy diet.

The economic importance of olive oil for the municipality of Alghero was highlighted during the convention “Donne, Olio e Dintorni” (“Women, Olive oil and Surroundings”). “The local economy significantly depends on the production of olive oil,” sais Antonella Casu, responsible for the territorial service of the municipality and organization LAORE Sardinia.

South Italian regions typically have a big olive production. According to the National Institute for Statistics, Apulia and Calabria are the largest domestic producers with an average annual production of 240,000 and 230,000 tons, or about 30 times the production of Sardinia.

Sources:

Sesto premio nazionale: “La degustatrice di olio d’oliva”
La degustatrice di olio d’oliva Press Release
Alghero Gold website
istat.it

Patrick J. Donnelly, chief executive officer of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, addressed the group at its annual meeting in Montreal on April 28, 2013.

The 104th American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) Annual Meeting & Expo took place April 28–May 1, 2013 at the Palais des congrès in Montréal, Canada with 1500 people in attendance. The scope of the annual meeting is broad—there were over 500 presentations on all areas of fats and oils, reflecting the wide range of AOCS’s activities—but olive oil is attracting increasing attention in this scientific community.

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AOCS traces its history back to 1909 and the cottonseed industry, and has always had at its core the development and assessment of analytical methods for oils. It has grown from its U.S. roots to become an international organization, with members and affiliates around the globe. One of the essential services of AOCS is its proficiency testing program for laboratories which sends periodic oil samples to participating labs around the world for analysis. AOCS then evaluates the results, comparing them to the known values of the samples, and provides feedback to the laboratory. Only when a lab consistently performs with accuracy and precision on these tests can it be granted AOCS accreditation.

In 2012, AOCS launched its olive oil sensory panel proficiency testing series in response to a worldwide demand for more trained and proficient sensory panels to assess olive oil quality. The International Olive Council (IOC) program of sensory panel recognition is available only to a limited group of panels, namely those affiliated with a government agency. Since there are many panels attached to private labs, institutes and companies that are not eligible for IOC recognition, AOCS stepped in with its olive oil sensory panel proficiency testing program which is open to all compliant olive oil taste panels.

An update on the sensory proficiency testing program was a topic at one of the olive oil meetings. Representatives from participating panels in the USA and elsewhere got a look at an anonymous summary of the results from the two rounds of samples evaluated to date and had an opportunity to give feedback. The 2013 series will include twice the number of samples—four rounds of four samples each.

The largest olive oil event was the 5th meeting of the AOCS Expert Panel on Olive Oil chaired by Richard Cantrill, AOCS Chief Science Officer and Technical Director. There were updates on the progress of olive oil standards around the world. Paul Miller of the Australian Olive Association — who advocated for the formation of the olive oil expert panel — reported that the Australian standard adopted in 2011 was finally getting some traction with retailers and domestic and imported brands in Australia who are using it as a point of quality in their marketing. South Africa is also making progress on adopting a standard similar to the one in Australia.

Miller credited the seminal work in Northern Europe where quality parameters are being used by retailers to monitor the quality of olive oil over time. He also outlined the efforts underway in Italy to adopt a government standard for a grade of high quality extra virgin. There are ongoing efforts in Turkey and Israel to develop new standards as well. In an aside, Miller mentioned the challenges presented by China as an export market, where test results for unexpected things such as aflatoxin are sometimes required.

The USDA Quality Monitoring Program (QMP) was expanded to include olive oil in April 2012. At the Expert Panel meeting, the QMP update revealed that the program still has only one participating company, Pompeian olive oil. The representative of a domestic olive oil producer commented on this, saying his company had investigated the program but found it not feasible because of the burdens imposed by the testing protocol.

An update from Dan Flynn of the UC Davis Olive Center briefed the group on the work of the past year. A survey of foodservice olive oils to follow up on the two UCD reports on supermarket olive oils was published in September 2012. The results from fifteen extra virgin and eight olive oil grade samples sourced from a major food service supplier, found one canola-adulterated sample per category, and overall quality and sensory testing found 60 percent of the samples not up to grade. There was also mention of testing on California olive oils to learn about the natural chemistry of the oil (fatty acid profiles, etc) and ongoing research to correlate chemical markers with sensory perception of rancidity.

In a discussion about testing methods, Claudia Guillaume of Modern Olives talked about her work over many years with pyropheophytin (PPP) and diacylglycerol (DAG) tests. She has retained samples of olive oils since 2010 and is testing them periodically to chart their chemistry as they age up to and beyond their Best Before Date (BBD). She reported that her findings are very consistent: PPP rises at 6-8% per year, and DAGs decline at 20-25 percent. The relationship between these indices and the free fatty acids (FFA) and ultraviolet (UV) results give a lot of information about the history of an oil—its quality when it was produced, and how it has been treated since then, she said. Guillaume also described the methodology she uses to determine a technically sound BBD, incorporating DAG, PPP, UV, FFA and Rancimat testing.

The challenges facing olive oil in the supply chain were a big topic. A new standard for flexitank liners is under development with a focus on the physical integrity of the bags. Input from the group on this topic was noted by John Hancock, representative from the Federation of Oils, Seeds and Fats Associations (FOSFA), an international body dealing with world trade in fats and oils. Oxygen permeability, leaching and absorbance were all suggested by panel members as important issues for olive oil containers. The need for recycling was also mentioned, as a way of preventing the reuse of liners.

In the Expert Committee meeting and at a subsequent study participant meeting, there was an update on an AOCS-led study into the effects of aging on olive oil. The study is looking at the changes in the chemistry and sensory properties of olive oil over time, using both standard tests and methods, and the “latest and greatest” in instrument technology. The primary topic of conversation was improvements and expansion of the project for the upcoming year, with particular attention to the idea of an optional “stress test” of the samples for additional information. A protocol will be enumerated for accelerating the aging of the samples so that labs and panels that may wish to go further with their testing to measure accelerated degradation effects in the oil.

In addition to the focus of the olive oil Expert Panel and study participant meetings, olive oil was the topic of a number of posters presented at the meeting. Projects on faster testing for PPP, olive oil storage temperatures, geographic origin characterization and the health effects of olive oil on women with diabetes were presented during the poster session. There was also a segment during the Rancidity and Antioxidant Assessment session on interpreting the sensory quality of virgin olive oil using volatile markers. D.L. García González from Seville, Spain, presented his work on the brain activity of people smelling various volatile compounds. The complicated nature of drawing conclusions about the reliability of volatile analysis for detecting defects was evident, due to the complex relationships in our sensory perception of odors—competitive effects for example—which make it difficult to know from a mechanical analysis of the volatiles what the final sensory perception will be. “Further work is needed on volatile interactions,” said González, “We are far from replacing sensory panels.”

AOCS Chief Executive Officer Pat Donnelly, shared his views on olive oil. “Since olive oil is not my background, I am coming at this from the perspective of a consumer. I am learning what’s behind the production and supply chain issues, and quality standards,” he said. “The consuming public doesn’t understand all this.”

When asked about the role of AOCS in the olive oil industry, Donnelly said, “We can advance the science and technology, the development of standards, as we have in all the industries we’re involved with. Then we hope consumer and government entities will use the information to make informed decisions.” As Donnelly put it, “We are about the science.”

This photo of a Molise olive grove, by Tony Figliola, won the Extrascape.jpg photography contest.

Soon after the closing of the New York International Olive Oil Competition, another kind of olive oil competition took place in an isolated and little-known village in the Molise region, in the Center of Italy.

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Extrascape is a peculiar competition, set up by Molisextra, a small yet very dynamic producers’ association led by Francesco Travaglini, together with local administrations and a network of Italian Universities studying the landscape under its aesthetic, functional, environmental and economic aspects.

It is the first international olive oil competition that not only awards the best extra virgin olive oil, but also the best olive landscape, according to different criteria including sustainability, biodiversity, respect for the environment and harmony with their surroundings.

The 2013 edition followed last year’s guidelines: while two expert panels – the oil tasting and the landscape one – examined and evaluated oils and pictures coming from all over the world with a preponderance from Italy and Spain, the ancient castle of the village now converted into a public building hosted an interesting archaeological exposition about oil and wine production and consumption in the local area, and a number of conferences and workshops.

On day one, a number of scientific speakers such as Prof. Maurizio Servili (University of Perugia), Prof. Claudio Massimo Colombo (Molise University) and Dr. Biagio Zullo (Science and Technology Park of Molise) reported about the Italian olive oil quality parameters and potentialities, and about the possible uses of olive pomace and wastewater deriving from olive milling.

On day two, speakers discussed olive oil quality in its different aspects. General Cosimo Piccinno (anti-sophistication corps of Carabinieri) and Lieutenant Colonel Amedeo De Franceschi (Corps of forest rangers) talked about the danger of frauds and food adulteration and the investigative and operative tools to prevent and repress them, also pointing out that the origin certification is one fundamental asset to preserve both consumers’ safety and producers’ job. This perfectly aligns with the importance of preserving and endorsing the land and landscape where olive oil is born, connecting products, places and people.

Prof. Achille Ippolito (La Sapienza University of Rome and coordinator for the inter-University Sapienza- Tuscia and Molise University Ph.D. in Environment and Landscape Planning and Management) spoke about well-being and landscape quality, based upon the cultural traceability.

Angela Galasso, representative of Aicare (Italian Agency for Rural Sustainable and Ethical Agriculture) talked about the Association’s activities and introduced the Olio Giusto (Fair Olive Oil) Award that will be appointed to the most “ethical” olive oil cooperative producer joining the network.

Gino Celletti, the panel leader at the New York competition, illustrated the potentialities of several local varieties (Molise counts 19 different cultivars) while Himeyo Nagatomo – a Japanese professional taster, and part of the international jury – talked about the confused regulation of olive oil in Japan.

On day three, just before announcing the awards, the PhD students presented the results of their workshop about tourism, culture and extra virgin olive oil, proposing interesting projects for the touristic and cultural exploitation of Molise, a land full of natural beauty, excellent products and traditions.

For the competition, fifty-eight extra virgin olive oils coming from different areas – from Molise to Uruguay,  were evaluated according to the fruity and conventional or organic cultivation. Those assessments were then combined with the results of the landscape experts, evaluating pictures of olive tree groves and oil mills divided into the traditional (wild) or innovative (high-density) categories.

Results showed a strong correlation between the quality of a farm’s landscape and the oil it produced. Spain and Italy won almost every category, even if Spanish farms appeared to be better than Italian ones at taking care of the landscape and displaying it, with some exceptions of course.

A special award was given to Agroland Cultivos from Uruguay, whose landscape was considered “a model” by the landscape jury.

Sources:

Extrascape

For five days in late April, Tokyo was home to a whirlwind of olive-related activity. The Olive Japan 2013 International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition judging, followed by the Olive Japan Trade Show and accompanying symposium and seminars, focused attention on olive oil quality in the world’s fourth largest import market for olive oil.

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Fifteen judges spent three days in a hotel banquet room judging 280 entries from 21 countries. Nine premier medals were awarded, going to Almazara de Muela – Mueloliva Picudo (Spain), Ríncon de la Subbética Alamoda (Spain), Aroden S.A.T. – Cladivm (Spain), Marqués de Griñón – Oleum Artis (Spain), Azienda Agricola Contessa Elena – L’Arte dell Olivo Tuscany (Italy), Azienda Agricola Villa Zottopera (Italy), Olio Torchia (Italy), Gallo Colheita Luar (Portugal) and Gallo Reserva (Portugal).

Japanese olive oil producers made a fine showing, with gold medals going to Agri-Olive Shodoshima, Shodoshima Oliva Ya, Iiji Olive Mission and Lucca, Yamasan Shodoshima Organic, Olive Park Shodoshima, Kyudenko KK Avilo Amakusa Limited Edition, Olive En 1st Origin, Sorai Farm Shodoshima and Souju Mission. The full Olive Japan Competition results can be viewed here.

In his introductory remarks to the judges, Olive Japan Chairman Toshiya Tada described the philosophy behind the competition. “The most important function of the Olive Japan competition is to give the consumer a clear indicator of quality in the Japanese olive oil market.” There are no specific standards for olive oil in Japan; olive oil is lumped together with other vegetable oils for purposes of regulation.

Each table of judges was composed with an eye to the balance of Old World, New World, Asia, Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere. Dr. Antonio Giuseppe Lauro, IOC Panel Leader from Calabria, Italy, and veteran judge observed, “There was no difference from table to table; the judging seemed very consistent.” Of the 280 entries, 189 were awarded Silver, Gold or Premier Medals.

Dr. Agusti Romero, olive oil researcher at IRTA (Institute of Agricultural-Alimentary Research and Technology) in Catalonia, Spain—one of the developers of the Mario Solinas profile sheet used in many olive oil competitions around the world—shared with others the opinion that the oils overall were very good, and had arrived at the competition in fine condition.

Dr. Romero mentioned the stimulating professional discussions that took place among the judges. Romero noted, “It was very interesting to taste with panelists from other countries and to discuss attributes. I learned that we think in a common language—not just general quality but also the details.” Dr. Richard Gawel, longtime chairman of the Australian National EVOO Competition and panel leader, also commented on the collegial atmosphere, appreciating “the ability to work as a team. We didn’t always agree, but we respected each others’ opinions, and I think that’s the key to results that truly reflect the quality of the oils.”

The second critical function of the organizing body of Olive Japan, the Olive Oil Sommelier Association of Japan, is to promote education for the consumer through their more than 600 graduates and events such as the Olive Japan Marché and seminars. This year the audience at the Olive Japan Marché was estimated at 170,000 people over the two days. The number of exhibitors, 49, was almost double last year. The Olive Ambassador 2013 was Japanese-Argentine supermodel Karen Michibata who was featured in the television coverage of the event.

Appearances by Jinguji Osamu, drummer from the rock band Remioromen was a big draw for young people. The very young set had their photos taken with Kumamon, the cartoon bear mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture. Cooking and olive oil tasting events also took the stage and were well-attended.

This year the Olive Japan event included an educational program aimed at people in the olive oil trade. On Saturday was the Olive Summit Symposium, starting with a keynote address by Tom Mueller, whose book Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil was recently released in Japanese. Mueller highlighted the natural match between the high quality Japanese approach to food and high quality olive oil. In addition he spoke of his time with olive people in Japan and the high quality already achieved by its small but influential industry.

Liz Tagami of Tagami International gave insights into the future of olive oil marketing. Building on the current high profile of olive oil for health and questions of traceability and fraud, Tagami discussed some trends that are likely to impact olive oil. The agrarian and artisanal movement will fuel interest in the people and practices behind extra virgin olive oil brands. The changing demographics of the buying public will also impact marketing as Millennials and Moderns represent an increasing market share.

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Nearly two weeks after the New York International Olive Oil Competition announced this year’s best olive oils, winning producers around the world continue to rejoice. But there are a few more awards that the competition organizers have not yet unveiled, until now.

“We had no intention of recognizing the best package designs in the first edition of this competition,” said Curtis Cord, publisher of Olive Oil Times and the president of NYIOOC. “But each day, as my staff and I received entries from all over the world, we were so inspired every time a particularly well-designed package was unwrapped.”

Cord asked well-known New York designer Debbie Millman if she and her team at Sterling Brands would judge the entries to determine the best package designs. “Not only do I happen to love olive oil, but it sounded like a fun project and I was glad to participate in an event like this, the first of its kind in New York,” said Millman.

Debbie Millman

Debbie Millman is a partner and president of the design division at Sterling Brands, a leading brand identity firm. Millman is President Emeritus of AIGA, chair of the School of Visual Arts’ master’s program in Branding, and the chairwoman of the judges for the Dieline Package Design Awards. She is the author of “Look Both Ways: Illustrated Essays on the Intersection of Life and Design.”

Millman and the Sterling Brands team assessed the entries according to these criteria: level of impact and uniqueness in the marketplace, ingenuity, distinctiveness, use of typography, use of illustration or photography and quality of structure.

The judges decided to award medals the Most Authentic and Most Innovative Packaging, and the top award for the Best Package Design overall.
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See the Finalists

Frantoio Franci

Italian extra virgin is a catch-all at the international competition in New York, winning 87 awards out of the 232 given to the Northern Hemisphere and the 261 overall.

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The much-publicized first edition of the New York International Olive Oil Competition was a big success in itself and probably set a new standard for international olive oil competitions and awards, and it was certainly a great achievement for Italian extra virgin.

Italy was the most award-winning country at the competition, gaining the record number of 87 medals, while Spain followed with 45 and the United States gathered 33 awards.

Among the 87 awarded Italian products, 8 won the “Best of Class” medal for the different categories of the Northern Hemisphere, and a very satisfying 53 won a Gold Awards, while 26 won a Silver. Winning oils came from different areas of Italy, with many representatives from the famous regions of Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio and Sicily.

Frantoio Franci, with the excellent score of 9.60, won the Best of Class Award for the Robust Blend category. A blend of Frantoio “Correggiolo” (50 percent, a local subvariety), Moraiolo (35 percent) and Leccino (15 percent) varieties, it has an elegant and intense aroma with artichoke and roasted coffee notes.

It has been a golden year for Villa Magra, which also won many other national and international competitions such as the SOL d’Oro, the Joop – Japan Olive Oil Prize and a silver medal at the Ercole Olivario competition in Italy.

The family-owned company from Tuscany also won a second award in New York with the IGP Toscano olive oil – a less complex yet very good product with fresh grass and fruity notes and a light tomato scent – that was awarded as Best of Class for the Medium Blend category, and a third – a Gold Medal – for its Olivastra Seggianese in the Delicate Monovarietal category.

Giorgio Franci, who leads the company together with his father Ferdinando, is very happy for the result and he is firmly convinced that the New York Competition will become an essential reference for all the buyers and consumers who really care about high quality extra virgin olive oil.

Olio Reserva by Domenica Fiore obtained the highest score at the New York competition.

Olio Reserva by Domenica Fiore Company won the Best of Class award for the Organic Medium Blend category. It is a golden green oil, robust and full-bodied, and it comes in the special 18/10 stainless steel bottles inspired by the ideas of Marco Mugelli, the founder of National Association of Olive Oil Tasters (ANAPOO), to preserve olive oil’s nutritional and flavor characteristics.

The Tenuta Torre Di Mossa by De Carlo company from Apulia won the Best of Class award for the Robust Monovarietal category, being an intensely pungent and bitter yet balanced olive oil obtained from the local variety Coratina.

Best of Class award in the Organic Robust Monovarietal category went to the Torre Bianca Frantoio by the Torre Bianca Farm, from Tuscany again, with its very sharp smell of fresh greens. La Montagnola’s Minerva (a beautiful farmhouse in Umbria, which also offer nice rustic accommodations, yoga classes and olive oil tasting seminars) won the Best of Class award for the Delicate Monovarietal Category.

For the Delicate Category, the organic extra virgin by Tenuta San Jacopo (a beautiful farmhouse in Tuscany, again, also producing wines and spirits) was awarded as Best of Class Organic Blend while the Best of Class Award for traditional Blend went to the Olevano Delicate extra virgin by Consorzio Olivicolo del Tusciano, which also won the Gold Metal for the Robust Blend Category with its Olevano Intense oil.

This company was actually born by the twinning and relationship between Wilmington, DE USA, and the small village of Olevano Sul Tusciano, in Southern Italy. Over the centuries, many Olevanese emigrated to the US but their descendants continued to communicate and strengthen the trans-Atlantic relationship with their Italian cousins, until in 2003 the two cities were officially declared as Sister Cities of the International Organization. Extra virgin olive oil is only one of the Italian products coming from their homeland that they decided to import to the US.

The panel leader Gino Celletti was very proud of the Italian results, but especially of the jurors’ job: “It was one of the broadest and most qualified panel that has ever been made, and they all did extremely well,” he said.

The other winning olive oils from Italy are below. The full list of winners can be found at the Best Olive Oils website.

Italian Winners at NYIOOC

Brand Name Producer	Award	Intensity	Variety
Affiorato Intini Olio Intini	Gold	Medium	Blend
Agrestis Fiore D'oro DOP Agrestis Soc. Coop. Agricola	Gold	Robust	Tonda Iblea
Albereto Badia a Coltibuono	Silver	Medium	Blend
Aspromontano Olearia San Giorgio	Silver	Delicate	Blend
Bellini Rita Società Agricola	Gold	Medium	Blend
Bramasole The Tuscan Sun, LLC	Gold	Robust	Blend
Casale Sonnino Azienda Agricola Sonnino-Treves	Silver	Delicate	Blend
Crudo Manicaretti Italian Food Importers	Gold	Delicate	Blend
Dell'Orto Oleificio Dell'Orto s.a.s.	Silver	Medium	Carpellese
Dell'Orto PDO Oleificio Dell'Orto s.a.s.	Silver	Delicate	Blend
DeNigris Agrioil spa	Gold	Medium	Blend
Domenica Fiore Olio Novello Domenica Fiore Corporation	Silver	Medium	Blend
Domenica Fiore Olio Reserva Domenica Fiore Corporation	Best of Class	Medium	Blend
Dominus Riserva Oleificio Frantoio Fam	Silver	Robust	Ravece
Don Gioacchino Sabino Leone	Gold	Medium	Coratina
Donna Ludovica Gregorio Di Luzio	Gold	Medium	Blend
Emozione Azienda Agricola Decimi	Gold	Medium	Blend
DOP Sabina Etichetta Nera Azienda Agricola Silvi Sabina Sapori	Gold	Medium	Blend
Frantoia Premiati Oleifici Barbera	Silver	Medium	Nocellara del Belice
Frantoio Franci Igp Toscano Frantoio Franci	Best of Class	Medium	Blend
Fratelli Colletti Fratelli Colletti	Silver	Medium	Biancolilla
Giachi Duomo IGP Tuscany Giachi Giovanni SRL	Gold	Robust	Blend
Hortulanus Olivastra Seggianese Hortulanus srl società agricola	Silver	Medium	Monovarietal
Il Molino Canino soc. Agr. SCIUGA s.s.	Gold	Medium	Frantoio
Intense taste Frantoio Oleario Monterisi s.r.l.	Gold	Robust	Monovarietal
La Bandiera La Bandiera Ltd	Gold	Robust	Blend
La Mola La Mola di A.M. Billi Soc.agr.	Gold	Medium	Blend
La Montagnola La Montagnola Snc	Best of Class	Delicate	Minerva
Lab Oliocru.Consorzio SRL	Gold	Medium	Blend
Larcangelo DOP Penisola Sorrentina Azienda Agricola Russo	Gold	Delicate	Monovarietal
Laudato Frantoio Oleario Gabrielloni E. & G.	Gold	Delicate	Blend
Le Colline Le Colline	Silver	Medium	Blend
Le Colline DOP Le Colline DOP	Silver	Delicate	Blend
Le Magnolie Mario Tortella	Gold	Medium	Blend
Le Tre Colonne Selezione Coratina Azienda Agricola Stallone Salvatore	Gold	Robust	Coratina
Le Tre Colonne Bio Azienda Agricola Caputo Maria	Gold	Medium	Coratina
Librandi Monocultivar Carolea Azienda Agricola Librandi Pasquale	Gold	Delicate	Carolea
Lorenzo 3 Premiati Oleifici Barbera	Silver	Robust	Cerasuola
Lucini Organic Limited Reserve Premium Select Lucini Italia	Gold	Robust	Blend
Lunavera Bio Bosana Azienda agricola	Gold	Robust	Bosana
Lunavera Bio Nera di Oliena Azienda agricola	Silver	Medium	Nera di Oliena
Mandranova Monocultivar Nocellara mandranova	Gold	Robust	Nocellara del Belice
Marina Colonna Marina Colonna Soc. Agr. S.r.l.	Silver	Medium	Blend
I Megaliti Fattorie Del Maestrale	Silver	Medium	Nera di Villacidro
Mille Olive Mille Olive	Gold	Delicate	Carboncella
Monovarietà Intosso forcella	Gold	Medium	intosso
Moraiolo Quattrociocchi Americo	Gold	Medium	Moraiolo
Murgo Az Agr E Scammacca del Murgo SSA	Gold	Delicate	Nocellara Etnea
Olevano Delicate Consorzio Olivicolo del Tusciano	Best of Class	Delicate	Blend
Olevano Intense Consorzio Olivicolo del Tusciano	Gold	Robust	Blend
Olio Cottone Nicolo Cottone	Silver	Medium	Biancolilla
Oliva Bella Oliva Bella	Gold	Medium	Tonda Iblea
Olio Extravergine di Oliva Fattoria La Vialla Fattoria La Vialla	Gold	Robust	Blend
OlivaMia Azienda Agricola Nature Loves You	Silver	Robust	Blend
Olivastra Seggianese Frantoio Franci	Gold	Delicate	Olivastra Seggianese
Olivastro Quattrociocchi Americo	Gold	Robust	Itrana
Ortice Riserva Ortice Riserva	Gold	Robust	Monovarietal
Ottobratico Olearia San Giorgio	Silver	Delicate	Ottobratica
Paesanol Oleificio Asaro srl	Gold	Robust	Blend
Pietregiovani Società Agricola Salentino srl	Gold	Medium	Blend
Posta Locone Fratelli Ferrara S.A.S.	Gold	Robust	Coratina
Primo DOP Monti Iblei Primo	Gold	Robust	Tonda Iblea
Ravida Natalia Ravida	Gold	Medium	Blend
Respiro azienda agricola massimo mosconi	Silver	Medium	Moraiolo
Risveglio azienda agricola massimo mosconi	Gold	Medium	Raggia
San Giuliano Alghero Classic Line Domenico Manca S.p.A. - San Giuliano Olive Oils	Gold	Delicate	Blend
San Giuliano Alghero DOP Sardegna Domenico Manca S.p.A. - San Giuliano Olive Oils	Gold	Medium	Blend
San Giuliano Alghero Organic Line Domenico Manca S.p.A. - San Giuliano Olive Oils	Silver	Medium	Blend
San Jacopo Tenuta San Jacopo	Best of Class	Delicate	Blend
Selezione Storica Premiati Oleifici Barbera	Silver	Delicate	Nocellara del Belice
Sussurro azienda agricola massimo mosconi	Silver	Medium	Leccino
Tenuta Torre Di Mossa De Carlo De Carlo SRL	Best of Class	Robust	Coratina
Terre Di San Mauro Olearia San Giorgio	Gold	Delicate	Blend
Tiratari Villa la Ripa	Silver	Medium	Blend
Titone Manicaretti Italian Food Importers	Gold	Medium	Ogliarola
Torre Bianca Frantoio Azienda Agricola Torre Bianca	Best of Class	Robust	Frantoio
Trappeto di Caprafico Azienda Agricola Tommaso Masciantonio	Gold	Medium	Blend
Trappeto di Caprafico Colline Teatine D.O.P. Azienda Agricola Tommaso Masciantonio	Gold	Medium	Blend
Tuscia DOP Colli Etruschi Cooperative	Gold	Robust	Canino
Ulianesu Murgia Vincenzaa	Gold	Medium	Nera di Oliena
La Valle del Mulino Azienda Agricola La valle del Mulino	Gold	Medium	Blend
Vicopisanolio IGP - Bio Societa' Agricola Il Frantoio Di Vicopisano	Silver	Medium	Frantoio
Villa Magra Frantoio Franci	Best of Class	Robust	Blend
Villa Stabbia Villa Stabbia	Gold	Medium	Blend
Viola Colleruita DOP Umbria Azienda Agraria Viola	Gold	Medium	Blend

Australia and New Zealand punched above their weight at the 2013 New York International Olive Oil Competition last week. Though their production is small compared with other countries they together claimed four Best of Class, five Gold and two Silver awards.

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• U.S. Producers Win Big at International Olive Oil Competition
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• Elite Tasters Scrutinize 700 Olive Oils in New York

From four entries, Cobram Estate, Australia’s largest olive oil producer, won two Best of Class Awards, the only producer to do so apart from Italy’s Frantoio Franci, as well as two Gold.

And Rylstone Australian Olive Oil tied with the same Italian company with a score of 9.60 out of 10 in the robust blend category – the second highest score in the whole competition – netting it a Best of Class to add to its two Gold awards.

Meanwhile New Zealand’s Mill Bay took Best in Class with its robust J5 olive oil, a cultivar found only in the far north of that country.

Australia’s Forest Edge Farm received a Gold award for its frantoio extra virgin, and Alto Olives won silver with its Alto Vividus monovarietal, as did Camilo Enterprises with Max’s Blend.

Australia’s medal share “impressive”

From a final field of more than 650 extra virgin olive oils from 22 countries, a total of 261 awards were made in the competition, of which Italy won the most Best of Class prizes, eight, but Australia was next with three, a result competition organizer and Olive Oil Times publisher Curtis Cord described as “a remarkable accomplishment.”

Rylstone Olive Oil

According to IOC figures, Australia produced just 19,000 tons of olive oil in the 2010/11 season, compared to 450,000 tons for Italy and 1.6 million tons for world leader Spain.

Consumers now linking quality to health benefits

Cobram Estate, based in the Australian state of Victoria, accounts for about half of the country’s annual production and executive chairman Rob McGavin told Olive Oil Times the awards reflected “absolute focus on the business of producing great quality extra virgin.”

“It’s not a fluke that we’re producing first class olive oil here,” he said. “We’re producing great quality extra virgin naturally because high labor costs have forced us into mechanization.”

“We’ve got a focus on really clean fruit and processing it in a very short period of time so that you’re giving it every chance to shine.” About 95 percent of the company’s production is extra virgin grade, he said.

“We’re doing it in volume so some of the blends that we’ve won gold medals on, we’ve got millions of liters of, not just a tiny amount.”

After two challenging years due to unseasonal wet summers, the olive fruit had loved the return to a traditional hot, dry one, he said.

People are starting to realize the link between olive oil quality and health benefits, “which works in our favor,” McGavin said. “We’ve got a very strong domestic market and Australian consumers are enjoying the very high quality.”

The winning olive oils from New Zealand and Australia are below. The full list of winners can be found at the Best Olive Oils website.

Australia and New Zealand Winners

Brand Name Producer	Country	Award
Cobram Estate Hojiblanca Cobram Estate	AU	Best of Class
Cobram Estate Picual Cobram Estate	AU	Best of Class
Rylstone Olive Press Cudgegong 3 Rylstone Australian Olive Oil	AU	Best of Class
Mill Bay Mill Bay	NZ	Best of Class
Forest Edge Farm Forest Edge Farm	AU	Gold
Cobram Estate Classic Flavour Intensity Cobram Estate	AU	Gold
Rylstone Olive Press Cudgegong 2 Rylstone Australian Olive Oil	AU	Gold
Cobram Estate Premiere Cobram Estate	AU	Gold
Rylstone Olive Press Crooked River Rylstone Australian Olive Oil	AU	Gold
Max's Blend Camilo Enterprises	AU	Silver
Alto Vividus Alto Olives	AU	Silver

Sources:

The Best Olive Oils in the World for 2013
IOC productioin figures for 2011/12

Spanish extra virgin olive oils received a total of 51 awards including two Best of Class at the New York International Olive Oil Competition.

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• Australia and New Zealand Shine at International Olive Oil Competition
• U.S. Producers Win Big at International Olive Oil Competition
• Prizes for Greek Olive Oils in Top Competition
• Awards Gala Honors World’s Top Olive Oil Producers
• Elite Tasters Scrutinize 700 Olive Oils in New York

Over 700 entries from 22 countries were subjected to a blind taste test to select the world’s best olive oils for 2013 at last week’s competition, which was held at the International Culinary Center in New York. Spain finished second only to Italy, the country with the most entries in the competition.

Spain, with its haul of two Best of Class and 25 Gold earned a total of 51 awards for the event. Spanish EVOO companies Masia el Altet, located in the Alcoy Mountains of Alicante, and Andalusian producer Finca La Torre both took home Best of Class awards for their respective categories, North Medium Intensity Blend and North Medium Intensity Monovarietal. Both oils received scores of 9.50 of a possible 10.0.

Another big winner for the year was Aceites Melgarejo, who received two Gold awards, with a score of 8.60 in the Robust Monovarietal category with its Arbequina, and 8.20 for their Picual. The company was founded in 1995, but strives to continue a rich history of olive farming that has been carried out by the family for generations. Located in Jaén, one of the regions most known for olive oil production in the world, olive oils from Melgarejo have received no less than 22 prizes this year alone.

Other top Spanish scorers included Venta del Barón from Córdoba and Aciete Novecientos from the province of Jaén, which both scored an impressive 9.50 in their categories. Popular Spanish export, Chef José Andrés, also received a Gold award for the olive oil to which he lends his name, José Andrés by Casas de Hualdo Secret Blend, which scored a 9.0 in the Robust Blend category.

The winning olive oils from Spain are below. The full list of winners can be found at the Best Olive Oils website.

Spanish Winners at NYIOOC

Brand Name Producer	Award
Aceite Novecientos Top Aceite Novecientos	Gold
Aceites Almenara Aceites Almenara	Gold
Alfar La Maja Agrícola La Maja s.l.	Silver
Alma De Jerez Delicate El Jardin De Almayate	Silver
Alma De Jerez Intense El Jardin De Almayate	Gold
Aove lasolana2 Aove lasolana2	Gold
Aubocassa Agrícola Aubocasser S.L.	Silver
Basilippo Gourmet Oleomorillo S.L.	Silver
Bea Rihuelo S.L.	Silver
Benizar Acecasa SL	Silver
Castillo de Canena Family Reserve Arbequina Castillo de Canena	Silver
Castillo de Tudején José Manuel Remón Huarte	Silver
Cavada La Maestria Cavada La Maestria	Gold
Changlot Real Señorios de Relleu	Silver
Coupage Señorios de Relleu	Gold
Dauro Reguilme S.L.	Silver
Dominus Cosecha Temprana Monva, S-L.	Gold
Ego Sum Intense Previoleo S.L	Gold
Ego Sum Subtle Previoleo S.L	Silver
Egregio Oleoestepa SCA	Gold
Estepa Virgen Oleoestepa SCA	Gold
Finca la Torre Selección Finca La Torre	Best of Class
Fuenroble Potosi 10 -Fuenroble S.A.	Gold
Insula Arbequina + Koroneiki Inversiones Pelícano 1003, S.L.	Silver
Insula Koroneiki Inversiones Pelícano 1003, S.L.	Silver
Jose Andres by Casas de Hualdo Picual Casas de Hualdo	Silver
Jose Andres by Casas de Hualdo Secret Blend Casas de Hualdo	Gold
La Maja Agrícola La Maja s.l.	Silver
LA Organic Oro Intenso LA Amarilla de Ronda	Gold
LA Organic Oro Suave LA Amarilla de Ronda	Gold
Llagrima Verda Inversiones Pelícano 1003, S.L.	Silver
Marqués de los Vélez Marques de los Vélez S. L.	Gold
Marqués de los Vélez Marques de los Vélez S. L.	Silver
Marques de Valdueza Marques de Valdueza	Silver
Masía el Altet High-End Masia el Altet S.L	Best of Class
Masía el Altet High Quality Masia el Altet S.L	Silver
Melgarejo Arbequina Aceites Melgarejo	Gold
Melgarejo Composición Premium Aceites Melgarejo	Gold
Melgarejo Frantoio Aceites Melgarejo	Silver
Melgarejo Picual Premium Aceites Melgarejo	Gold
Miquel's Olis Miquels S.L. (Brand: Miquel's)	Silver
Mueloliva Picuda muela-olives, .s.l.	Gold
O-Med Selection O-Med Extra Virgin Olive Oil	Gold
Oro Bailen Reserva Familiar Picual Galgon 99 SL	Gold
Oro Del Desierto Coupage Organic Rafael Alonso Aguilera S.L.	Gold
Pago Baldios San Carlos Pago Baldios San Carlos	Silver
Palacio Marques De Viana Simply Spanish Products	Gold
Parqueoliva Serie Oro Almazaras de la Subbetica	Gold
Rincon de la Subbética Almazaras de la Subbetica	Gold
Venta del Baron muela-olives, .s.l.	Gold
Verde Esmeralda Verde Esmeralda	Gold

Sources:

New York International Olive Oil Competition
Best Olive Oils
Acietes Melgarejo

U.S. olive oil producers had a very strong showing at the 2013 New York International Olive Oil Competition. This year’s competition included 702 entries of extra virgin olive oil from 22 countries. The highest number of overall awards went to Italy (83 awards), Spain (51 awards)and the U.S. (36 awards).

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• Australia and New Zealand Shine at International Olive Oil Competition
• Spain Brings Home 51 Medals from New York
• Prizes for Greek Olive Oils in Top Competition
• Awards Gala Honors World’s Top Olive Oil Producers

Producers from the U.S. brought in 21 Gold and 15 Silver medals. All 27 winning producers were from California. All but three of them are based in Northern California.

Some producers achieved multiple awards. Pacific Sun Olive Oil led the pack with three Gold medals. Il Fiorello Olive Oil Co., Bondolio Olive Oil, Apollo Olive Oil and Berkeley Olive Grove 1913 won two Gold medals each.

Olive Oil Times spoke with a couple of the winners.

Apollo Olive Oil is a family owned small business in Oregon House, California. The company has received more than 45 awards, including being named as one of the top ten olive oil producers in the world by the Mastri Oleari Golden Lion international competition. Apollo’s olives are organic and traditionally farmed. Apollo partner Steve McCulley attributes success of their olive oil to taking extra steps for quality, beyond the norm. He said Apollo’s mill was designed to extract the oil in a vacuum to reduce oxidation. In addition, all olives are handpicked and placed into buckets, rather than knocking them onto mats. McCulley says that this method is costly, but reduces bruising and oxidation.

Berkeley Olive Grove 1913 is also a familiar name among award circles. Their 100-year-old grove is the “largest planting of mission olives anywhere,” said co-owner Darro Grieco. Grieco attributes the high quality of Berkeley’s oil to four key factors: organic farming, traditional agriculture (wide tree spacing), dry farming (rain irrigation only) and the varietal. Grieco compares the old trees, planted in 1913, to wine where “the best wine comes from old vineyards.”

The winning olive oils from the United States are below. The full list of winners can be found at the Best Olive Oils website.

Brand Name Producer	Award
Arbequina Reserve Olivas de Oro Olive Company	Silver
Bondolio Bondolio	Gold
Bondolio Bondolio	Gold
California Mission Classic Berkeley Olive Grove 1913	Gold
California Mission Reserve Berkeley Olive Grove 1913	Gold
Calistoga Olive Oil Company Blend 1441 Calistoga Olive Oil Company	Gold
Corto Blend Corto Olive	Silver
Dry Creek Olive Company Healdsburg Blend Dry Creek Olive Company	Silver
Dry Creek Olive Company Meditteranean Blend Dry Creek Olive Company	Gold
First Fresh Sanders & Co, LLC	Silver
Frantoio Grove Frantoio Grove	Silver
Gallo Family North Coast Blend E&J Gallo Winery	Gold
Il Fiorello Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company	Gold
Il Fiorello Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company	Gold
Jovia Groves Jovia Groves Olive Oil	Gold
Mistral Apollo Olive Oil	Gold
Moonshadow Grove Ascolano Moonshadow Grove	Silver
Moonshadow Grove Mission Moonshadow Grove	Silver
Olive View Estate Temecula Olive Oil Company	Silver
Organic Arbosana Mike Polit	Gold
Pacific Sun Eva's Blend Pacific Sun	Gold
Pacific Sun Proprietor's Select Pacific Sun	Gold
Pacific Sun Tuscan Blend Pacific Sun	Gold
Provencale Ojai Olive Oil	Gold
Rancho El Molino Rancho El Molino	Gold
Red Rock Olive Oil of California - Red Label Red Rock Olive Oil of California	Gold
Regina Dickson Napa Ranch	Gold
Rescello D Inverno Jim Melson	Silver
Roanti Ranch Roanti Ranch	Silver
Rosenthal Olive Ranch Koroneiki Rosenthal Olive Ranch	Silver
Round Pond Estate Italian Varietal Round Pond Estate	Silver
Sierra Apollo Olive Oil	Gold
Talcott Carneros Talcott Olive Oil	Silver
Tuscan Ojai Olive Oil	Silver
Val di Luna Farms Val di Luna Farms	Gold
Winterhill Winterhill OLive Oil	Silver

Gold Award Winner, Olea Groves

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• Australia and New Zealand Shine at International Olive Oil Competition
• Spain Brings Home 51 Medals from New York
• U.S. Producers Win Big at International Olive Oil Competition

Olive oil producers and marketers from Greece were among the more than 700 contestants from all over the world that participated in the New York International Olive Oil Competition last week. Greek brands won two Gold awards and thirteen Silver in the 24 award categories They did not manage to receive a “Best of Class” distinction given to the top scoring oil in each category. The most awards in the competition were garnered by Italy, Spain and the USA with a total of 83, 51 and 36 prizes respectively.

For Greece, the two Gold awards were earned by Olea Juice and AiQ 0,5, two products that are made from olives of the Koroneiki and Manaki varieties. They are considered gourmet olive oils sold in delis and specialized stores. AiQ Executive Director Aris Xenofos told Agrotypos agricultural news portal, “Olive oils that excel in competitions like this become widely known and are highly appreciated by consumers and chefs worldwide.”

Silver Award Winner, Kyklopas

Producers from several different olive oil producing territories of the country won the Silver awards, including Anoskeli Agricultural Company S.A. from Crete, Mani Bläuel from Messinia, and Kyklopas S.A. from Thrace, while Silver awards were also presented to companies of Greeks abroad like Jordan Olivenöl and Kaldes Bros Trading.

Sources:

Best Olive Oils
Olive Oil Times, “World’s Best Olive Oils Unveiled in New York”
‘Agrotypos’ agricultural news, “Two Gold Prizes in New York Competition for Greek EVOOs”