Are you looking for a prizewinning olive oil?

Choosing special olive oil to give as a present or enjoy yourself can be a real adventure, especially if you are not highly familiar with the sector. This makes it an excellent idea to select a prizewinning olive oil.

Olive oils which have won prizes are usually top quality products in the extra virgin category. They have been produced with great care and subjected to the highest demands. Only if they conquer the palates of the panels of judges specialising in olive oil quality will they win any awards.

Although Spain leads the way as far as the production of olive oil is concerned, most of these competitions are international in nature. Such events to assess the quality of extra virgin olive oil are held in Japan, Greece, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia, among other countries.

Within these competitions different categories are established for the prizewinning olive oils. For example, these distinctions may reflect the variety of the olives used (picual, hojiblanca, arbequina, cornicabra, frantoio…), the design of the packaging, or a variety including an additional ingredient…

Why buy a prizewinning olive oil?

• You will only find high quality oils. In this kind of competition only the most select extra virgin olive oils are assessed. It should be remember that these olive oils are only produced by mechanical procedures and never by chemical ones. The pressing of the olives is carried out cold so that neither the taste nor the aromas undergo any alterations (this occurs to exploit the olives to the full in oils of less quality). Moreover, only the best olives are selected, i.e. those which have no aesthetic defects and are harvested at exactly the right moment.

• Choose among flavours with personality. An average extra virgin olive oil will not make the grade in this kind of competition. The panel of judges will notice olive oils which are different and are capable of awakening new sensations. This is influenced by a series of factors: the collection time, the olive variety, and the age of the olive trees. Green or early collection olives are among the most highly valued in this kind of competition.

Our Fuenquesada olive oil was among the best extra virgin oils of 2020. It won 4 international oil quality prizes. Would you like to have a sensory experience from your armchair? Just try our prizewinning olive oil.

Photo courtesy of Paraíso Virgen Extra Jaén during an olive oil tasting session in 2020