Olive Oil Sommelier Program Heads to Croatia

UPDATE: The October 2021 Postira course has been postponed. Read more here.

The Olive Oil Times Education Lab’s flagship five-day sommelier program will be presented in Postira, Croatia coinciding with the fourth annual World Championship of Olive Picking and the local olive harvest this October.

I am so happy and so proud that this world-renowned program will be held in our small town.– Siniša Marović, Mayor of Postira, Croatia

It will be the first course offered since February 2020, when it was held in London — before the Covid pandemic shut down travel and group gatherings.

Curtis Cord, the director of the program, said the municipality of Postira proposed the idea of bringing the course to the coastal village during its unique olive picking contest.

“I immediately like the idea of providing our attendees with an opportunity to experience a one-of-a-kind harvest-time event while they master tasting techniques and quality assessment,” he said.

Croatia has been in the news lately after the country’s producers — and especially those from Dalmatia, where Postira sits — achieved astounding success at the 2021 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition.

1,171 extra virgin olive oils from 28 countries were submitted to the NYIOOC, with 105 from Croatia. Of these, 53 came from Dalmatia – one of Croatia’s four historic regions that stretches along the southwestern coast.

Eighty-seven of the Croatian brands submitted to the prestigious competition were awarded — the highest success rate of any country that submitted over 20 entries.

Attendees will be able to witness production at an award-winning farm and taste fresh oils at the moment of extraction during field trips planned during the week-long immersive experience.

The five-day olive oil sommelier program is designed to empower a new generation of olive oil experts and educators. The fast-paced curriculum spans topics ranging from harvesting and production to health, culinary applications and advanced sensory assessment.

Leaders in Postira said the sommelier program, which has been held in New York, London and San Francisco, would be good for the town, as well as all of Croatia, by calling attention to its beautiful landscape, rich olive oil culture and friendly locals.

“I am so happy and so proud that this world-renowned program will be held in our small town,” the mayor of Postira, Siniša Marović told Olive Oil Times, “We may be small compared to other world cities where these courses are held, but we will have something special to show and provide to the attendees.”

Ivana Jelinčić, the director of the Postira Tourist Board, said: “The training will take place at the same time as our World Championship in Olive Picking, which will complete a special story that Postira and Dol have. I believe that the program participants will take back fond memories.”