Top extra-virgin olive oils named at Verona, Italy, competition

Verona, Italy –With one gold medal more than last year, Italy improved its share of the medals to defeat Spain 12-3 in the duel between the world’s best extra virgin olive oils this week in Verona.

The Sol d’Oro Northern Hemisphere 2017 attracted competitors with 300 samples from 10 countries: Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Turkey, Portugal, Germany, France, Chile and – for the first time -–Japan), organizers said in a news release. An international jury of 13 judges from Greece, Turkey, Tunisia, Spain, Italy and Slovenia worked for six days in “blind tastings” to assess the oils.

The competition saw Italy take four out of five gold medals envisaged in the award categories – delicate, medium and intense fruit, organic and single-variety – as well as all five silver medals and three bronze medals. Three medals, one gold and two bronze, went to Spain.  

The announcement of the winners of Veronafiere’s international competition rewarding the best extra virgin olive oils in the world took place this afternoon in Verona during the first day of EVOO Days, the new Veronafiere-Sol&Agrifood training and networking initiative in the olive oil sector.

Medal winners are entitled to be display the award received and award-winning oils will be given pride of place at Sol&Agrifood, the Quality Agro-Foods Exhibition April 9-12, 2017. For the second year, olive oils earning special mentions will be used during the finals of the Jam Cup, a Sol&Agrifood event that highlights young members of the Italian Chefs Federation.

List of winners Sol d’Oro Northern Hemisphere Competition – 2017

Delicate fruit category:
Sol d’Oro   – Moli D’Oli Gabriel Alsina, Castello De Farfanya – Spain
Sol d’Argento – Leone Sabino, Canosa di Puglia (Barletta-Andria-Trani) – Apulia
Sol di Bronzo – Batta Giovanni, Perugia – Umbria

Medium fruit category:
Sol d’Oro – Cosmo Di Russo, Gaeta (Latina) – Latium
Sol d’Argento – Azienda Agricola Donato Conserva, Modugno (Bari) – Apulia
Sol di Bronzo – Aceites Oro Bailen Galgon, Villanueva de La Reina – Spain

Intense fruit category:
Sol d’Oro Tenuta Zuppini, Torricella Sicura (Teramo) – Abruzzo
Sol d’Argento – Agricola Quattrociocchi Americo, Alatri (Frosinone) – Latium
Sol di Bronzo – Pruneti, San Polo in Chianti (Florence) – Tuscany

Organic olive oil category:
Sol d’Oro – Azienda Agricola Tommaso Masciantonio, Casoli (Chieti) – Abruzzo
Sol d’Argento – Azienda Agricola Quattrociocchi Americo, Alatri (Frosinone) – Latium
Sol di Bronzo – Frantoio Franci Snc, Montenero (Grosseto) – Tuscany

Single variety category:
Sol d’Oro – Leone Sabino, Canosa di Puglia (Barletta-Andria-Trani) – Apulia
Sol d’Argento – Azienda Agricola Quattrociocchi, Alatri (Frosinone) – Latium
Sol di Bronzo – Aceites San Antonio, Jaen – Spain

The full list of Sol d’Oro Competition 2017 special mentions is available on the site www.solagrifood.com.