The best olive oil in the world brand. What brand of olive oil is best for salads? Having studied all the oil labels, we can now move on to the issue of using each retail variety. Remember, we said that oil needs to be selected for specific purposes

Which brand of olive oil is best? The answer to this question requires preliminary study. After all, the olive tree is not grown in Russia. And therefore everything olive oil- imported. But, as in the case of sunflower or corn, we know that the best product comes from the first pressing. We also know that vegetable oil is purified from impurities - refined. Is this good for olive oil? There are also spinning methods - cold and hot. Which processing product is of higher quality? In this article we will comprehensively study this issue. Below we will talk not only about which brand of olive oil is better, but also consider the products of the producing countries, and briefly explain what the olive processing process is. On store shelves you can see different kinds containers with this imported product. Glass, plastic or metal - which packaging should you buy olive oil in? It is important to learn how to read the label correctly. And in this article we will tell you what the words Eextra Virgin mean. In Mediterranean cuisine, where olive oil is one of the staple foods, it is used very widely and for different purposes. You need to know these subtleties in order to properly dress salads or make dough.

The benefits of olive oil for the body

Did you know that Mediterranean cuisine is included in the UNESCO list as an intangible heritage of humanity? Do you know why? That's right: it is based on the active use of olive oil. So the dishes Mediterranean cuisine not only amazingly tasty, but also very healthy. Olive oil (reviews from gourmets and chefs on this issue are almost the same) will not only give the most ordinary dish a noble touch - it will also saturate the body with valuable vitamins and minerals. And most importantly, it will not leave any extra centimeters on the hips and waist. After all, olive oil is completely processed by the stomach. Have you noticed how luxurious the hair of Italian, Spanish, and Greek women is? Strong, thick, silky, shiny... And this is the result of daily consumption of olive oil. It strengthens bones, nails and teeth. Vitamin E, which is found in abundance in olive oil, prevents aging, alleviates pain from ulcers and gastritis, treats hemorrhoids, and breaks down cholesterol plaques. And even, as recent studies have shown, it is good remedy for prevention oncological diseases. Therefore, the ancient Greeks, who cultivated olive trees back in ancient times, called olive oil “the gift of the gods.” As we see, this is not only a poetic metaphor.

Product manufacturing process (in brief)

To understand which brand of olive oil is better, you need to have at least a superficial understanding of the technology for producing this product. It would seem, what difficulties could there be? After all, olive oil has been made since the times Ancient Egypt. The olives were placed under a press and squeezed out. But modern equipment and chemical reagents make it possible to squeeze more oil out of olives. For this purpose, the cake goes for secondary processing. It is on this basis that olive oil is divided into two types. During the first pressing, the “virgin” or Virgin Oil is born. And when olives are processed a second time, that is, they are heated and chemical reagents are passed through the pulp, Pomace Oil is obtained. Based on the above, let’s ask: is it worth saying which olive oil is better? Of course, “virgin”. But if we want to taste the best olive oil, we must take into account where the olives ripen best. After all, trees have a wide growing area. And here good harvest They don't give it everywhere. The most reputable olive oil producing countries are Greece, Italy, Spain and Tunisia. The first of them, once called Hellas, accounts for eighty percent of Virgin Oil's global sales. Greek oil is purchased by importers for further production of the product.

Extra virgin olive oil: main characteristics

Regardless of the country of origin, this product is the best available. The very word “extra” mentioned in the name indicates that the raw materials for it were of exceptionally high quality. The olives for this oil are harvested by hand. Next, the crop is sorted. For “Extra Virgin” only fully ripe, large and undamaged premium olives are selected. Next, the berries are put under pressure. No other impact occurs during processing. This process is called cold pressing. Thanks to this minimal processing, all the beneficial substances are preserved in the oil. This product has a slightly greenish tint. Extra Virgin Olive Oil has the rich scent of olives. But it has a specific taste. People who try Extra Virgin Oil for the first time may think that the oil has gone rancid. But it is precisely this taste that indicates the highest quality of the product. Raw olives are also bitter. But the free acidity of Extra Virgin Oil olive oil is very low - 0.8 percent. That is, one hundred grams of the product contains less than a gram of substances undesirable for the body. But this indicator - acidity - is not the main thing in determining a quality product. The refining method also reduces it.

Other types of olive oils

Between Extra Virgin and Pomatz Oil there are many more denominations. Let's look at them briefly.

Virgin Olive Oil is also a very high quality olive oil. The only difference with “Extra” is that the casting of the crop is not as thorough. Olives of different sizes, ripeness and types are processed under the press. But the rest of the process occurs in exactly the same way as during the production of Extra Virgin Oil. That is, the berries are cold pressed, after which the liquid is immediately poured into containers for sale. This oil is notable for the fact that it is almost not bitter. If you want to take it in its pure form for medical reasons, but cannot tolerate the specific taste, purchase this particular type. Virgin Olive Oil has higher acidity. Two percent is allowed. But if this indicator exceeds the norm, the batch is sent for purification. And here it is necessary to explain how refined olive oil differs from unrefined olive oil. During the production of the first product, chemicals are already used that cleanse it of excess acidity. This figure for Refined Olive Oil drops to 0.3 percent. There is also a type on sale called “Pur Olive Oil”. The name translates as “pure olive oil.” But this cold-pressed product is still a mixture of “Virgin” and “Rafinid”. The acidity of this olive oil does not exceed one percent. Well, Pomace Oil in Greece and Spain lubricates doors. Sometimes the product obtained from thermal pressing of the cake is refined.

Use in cooking

In the art of cooking, you should know for what specific purposes to use this or that type of olive oil. Especially in the northern countries, where this product is imported and therefore very expensive. So, you should only take extra virgin olive oil for salads. By the way, it loses its bitterness in dishes. And over time too. But the shelf life of a bottle of Extra Virgin is one and a half to two years (depending on the container). At the end of this period, the oil does not lose its useful properties, but becomes softer, velvety in taste. To prepare cold sauces and marinades, we use regular “Virgin”. Reviews call this olive oil very tasty and healthy. Meat coated with Virgin Oil will quickly soften and become tender after baking. Pur Olive Oil is used for stews. And for frying foods, you should use Refined Olive Oil. Due to purification, this oil has a high smoke point. It does not splash, does not burn out, and does not form in fried foods. a large number of carcinogens. This product is also ideal for making dough. It is not bitter and can be used instead of corn or sunflower. Buns and bread made with Olive Oil do not go stale for a long time.

How to choose a good olive oil, not a surrogate

Supermarket shelves are filled with various brands of this product. It’s time to get confused here. How to do right choice? Rule one: carefully study the label. It is advisable that the product be packaged by the manufacturer himself. Olive oil from Greece bottled on Deribasovskaya will most likely be of dubious quality. The label contains a name, often indicating the type of product. That is, in capital letters it is written, for example, “Extra Virgin” or “Pur Olive Oil”. Sometimes the name contains the brand of the manufacturer or the name of the area where the olives were collected. But the product type is also necessarily present on the label. In oils that do not belong to the elite “Virgin” category, the type of processing is indicated. This also gives us the opportunity to choose the best product. It is better to buy cold-pressed oil than refined oil made from oil cake after heat treatment. Great importance The product also has an expiration date. After all, this is not a wine that gets better with age. "Extra Virgin" has a shelf life of up to two years, for other varieties - one year. But the color doesn't matter. Yes, it is often not visible due to the fact that the oil is poured into tin cans or dark glass bottles. Only low-price products are sold in plastic containers.

Olives grow in warm countries of Europe and Asia Minor, in North Africa. But the leaders in the supply of olive oil to the world market are still only four countries. These are Greece, Spain, Italy and Tunisia. Oil from which country of origin should I choose? You should know that breeders have developed many varieties of olives. And in Italy there are more than forty of them. Therefore, different companies have the opportunity to produce single-varietal oils, as well as sophisticated “cocktails” with amazing taste.

Producers in Spain are adherents of the good old olive, which was cultivated in Iberia back in ancient times. Therefore, this country does not have such a variety of olive oils. Spain writes labels in its own language. Therefore, it is necessary to coordinate Olive Oil with Aceite de Oliva. It should be taken into account that Aceite de Orujo means secondary pressed oil, from pomace, created through heat treatment.

Olives in Greece grow in regions with different climatic characteristics. Terroir affects the taste of olive oil, even if it is of the same type.

A product from Tunisia can very rarely be found on the shelves of our stores. But this does not mean that olive oil from this country is bad. On the contrary, the alternating influence of winds from the Sahara and Atlantic breezes allows us to grow olives with a special taste and aroma.

The best brands of olive oil from Greece

Any product from sunny Hellas will be good. The choice before the buyer is truly enormous. You can buy oil both from oil groves near Thessaloniki and made on the islands. And this will at least slightly affect the taste. The world's largest trader, which supplies olive oil not only to importing countries, but even to Spain and Italy, is Oliko. However, this company buys crops from various farms in the country and produces a certain mix (albeit of good quality). But the company "Elinika Eklikta Ale" was specially created to produce the best varieties olive oil. Just as wine tours thrive in France, so in Greece you can tour small, family-owned businesses. Companies such as Xylouris and Kidokinatis not only pick olives by hand, but also press them through a traditional press.

Olive oil from Spain and Tunisia: what are their features?

There are about fifty types of products from this country on the Russian market. What kind of Spanish trade marks olive oil is the best? Look at the terroir. The climate of the south of the country, with its long growing season, makes it possible to grow the most juicy, fatty olives. The best brands are considered to be the Andalusian “Baena” and “Lucena”, as well as “Les Garrigues” and “Siurana” from Cordoba. On the other side of the Mediterranean Sea, in Tunisia, African Dream Products is considered the best producer of olive oil. And its best brand is “Chemlali”.

Italian product varieties

In this country, food is treated with reverence. No wonder Italian cuisine is considered one of the best in Europe. By default, the products of this state are equal to the standard. Therefore, food products that are produced in Italy quite often become participants in all sorts of competitions for the title of the best. Olive oil producers are not standing aside either. They have their own competition - Ercole Olivario. Only elite varieties (Extra Virgin or at least cold-pressed oil) can take part in it. What kind of producers became - and repeatedly! - winners of this most prestigious competition in Italy? These brands include Azienda Agricola Giorgio, Oliveto di Contesse Gertrude and Fattorie Greco.

Coming to stores for shopping, especially in large supermarkets, every buyer is faced with a wide range of products and, accordingly, the problem of choice. This information about olive oil varieties will help you choose the best for your purposes and navigate well in front of the counter. After all, when we go to buy a certain product, we know approximately how we will use it and in what dishes we will use it.

The gastronomic properties of olive oil depend on its retail grade. So, for example, if you need to improve your diet and make full use of medicinal properties olives, then you should be interested in the best olive oil. If you want to use it for stewing and frying foods, then here too you must wisely choose the one that is suitable for these purposes.

Acidity is the main indicator of quality

It should be noted that the quality of this product depends on many indicators, and the most important of them is free acidity, indicating the content of oxidizable organic acids in the final product. Usually acidity is expressed by manufacturers as a percentage, although in fact it is indicated in grams per 100 g of ready-to-use olive oil.

The lower this figure, the more expensive the oil and the more beneficial it is for the functioning of our body, although this point should also be taken into account: manufacturers can artificially reduce acidity. This is especially true for refined varieties, where chemical solvents and reagents are used.

Let's first look at the varieties of olive oil - for better orientation in their labeling. After all, the gastronomic properties of the oil depend on the variety - its taste, smell and ability to withstand temperature influences, preserving beneficial substances. Labels of olive oil varieties

All varieties can be divided into 3 classes:

natural – Virgin, cleaned – Refined and secondary pressing of the cake - Pomace.

The quality control and labeling of products is carried out by the International Olive Council, which has compiled a classification of olive oil varieties and their designations on packages.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a first-press product.

This is the best olive oil! This olive product has a free acidity of 0.8%, i.e. no more than 0.8 g of oxidizable organic acids per 100 g of finished product. The processing process is carried out exclusively by mechanical methods of cold pressing the olives, excluding temperature effects leading to any changes in their properties.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the highest quality oil, obtained using technologies dating back to the times of Ancient Egypt (the only difference is the use of modern equipment). For pressing, only undamaged, ripest olives are taken, which are collected from the trees only by hand.

Virgin Olive Oil

Virgin Olive Oil is also a virgin oil product.

A product with a free acidity of no more than 2%, which is obtained only by mechanical extraction methods and is purified without the addition of chemical reagents. For this pressing, fruits of varying degrees of ripeness can be used, but if, as a result of pressing, an acidity level of more than 2% is obtained, then the entire pressing is sent for refining, as it does not meet the requirements for the Virgin class.

Refined Olive Oil

Refined Olive Oil – refined extraction of olives. Recyclable and purified with minimal changes to its composition. Has an acidity of no more than 0.3%.

Olive Oil or Pure Olive Oil

Olive Oil or Pure Olive Oil is pure olive pomace.

This is a mixture of Refined oil and natural Virgin, with a free acidity of 1%.

Olive Pomace Oil

Olive-pomace Oil is a secondary extraction from the remaining olive pomace.

This product is obtained from olive pomace, which is processed both by various physical methods and by natural solvents. It is permissible to use not only natural solvents, but also chemical and high temperatures.

Refined Olive Pomace Oil

Refined Olive pomace Oil is a refined analogue of the pomace product.

This product is obtained from raw cake using processing methods that do not lead to changes in the basic properties of the final product. Free acidity – no more than 0.3%.

Olive pomace oil

Olive pomace oil is a mixture of refined pomace oil and a blend of various olive oils (unrefined and refined).

This product has a free acidity of about 1%. Not approved for sale to consumers in all countries. This product cannot be called olive oil, although it cannot be called unfit for human consumption either. Widely represented in our retail chains, especially under the brands of large retail supermarkets.

It is not difficult to understand which olive oil is the best by analyzing the classification of the expert International Olive Council, which is used by all leading olive oil producers.

Having studied all the oil labels, we can now move on to the issue of using each retail variety. Remember when we said that oil should be chosen for specific purposes?

Use in cooking

The healthiest way to consume olive oil is as a salad dressing. It can also be used as a main ingredient in marinades and cold sauces. For these purposes, Extra Virgin Olive Oil is more suitable than other varieties - a pure organic product that has an impressive range of beneficial properties.

It should be noted that the fresher the Extra Virgin, the more bitter it is and not the other way around! The product will have a distinct olive flavor, but with different nuances as it is obtained from different varieties olives, degree of maturity and areas of cultivation. Within six months after spilling, the oil gradually loses its bitterness and becomes softer in taste. The shelf life of Extra Virgin is 1.5-2 years.

For stewing and frying foods, the Olive Oil variety is used - an excellent quality oil that can also be used for dressing salads and sauces. This type of product is ideal for cooking meat and vegetables, since it does not form carcinogenic substances. This is due to the presence of stable fatty acids in it, which increase the smoke point, which becomes much higher than the normal frying temperature.

Olive Oil also does not have a distinct taste or smell of olives, and is not bitter, which is why it is preferred to be used in cooking all over the world.

If you still want to switch to cooking using olive oil instead of the usual sunflower oil, but Olive Oil is a little expensive for you, then the Pomace Olive Oil variety may be an acceptable option for your family. Although it does not have such a rich composition as Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Olive Oil, it is of quite acceptable quality. It contains the same monounsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, but in smaller quantities.

Pomace Olive Oil is suitable for frying and sautéing, and also shows its best qualities in baking. Flour products do not go stale for a long time, remaining fluffy.

For cleansing procedures (taking the oil on an empty stomach), you should use only Extra Virgin Olive Oil. For the preparation of oil infusions of medicinal herbs and other ingredients (infusions or macerates), only the highest grade of product is also suitable.

Use for medical and cosmetic purposes

In home cosmetics, as well as in factory ones, only the first cold-pressed bottle is used - Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Only this and nothing else!

So, let's summarize:

In the markets of post-Soviet countries you can find olive oil of three retail varieties:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – natural product of the highest quality
• Olive Oil – a mixture of natural Virgin oil and refined Refined Olive Oil
• Pomace Olive Oil – a mixture of Refined pomace and Pure Olive Oil

The main producers of the olive product are Spain, Italy, Greece and Tunisia. The largest volume (up to 80%) of Extra Virgin Olive Oil is produced in Greece. Greek production volumes are purchased by foreign companies for further use in mass production of the product.

How to choose the right olive oil

The name may indicate not only the retail variety itself, but also the manufacturer’s brand name. Also, natural olive oil can often be labeled with the variety of the olives themselves or the province of their growth. One way or another, the retail variety must be indicated.

By label

The label must necessarily indicate the manufacturer, as well as the importer and exporter with telephone numbers and addresses. High-quality oil is bottled by the manufacturer himself, so if it is produced in one country and bottled in another, then the quality of such a product may not correspond to the declared one.

Also pay attention to the bottling date. Olive oil is not wine! Over time, it loses its healing qualities, especially the Olive Oil variety. The maximum shelf life from the date of bottling is 12 months, with the exception of Extra Virgin.

By color

Choosing the right olive oil by color is impossible! The color of the product depends on various reasons and can range from light yellow to dark green, even brown. First of all, the color of the product is given by the condition of the olives themselves, i.e. their ripeness. If green olives are used to press the oil, the color will vary in different shades of green.

This product has a pronounced olive taste and bitterness. If ripe olive fruits are pressed, the color will be yellow, often with a purple tint. Brown color it turns out if the extraction is obtained from the ripest olive fruits (often this oil has a slightly sweet taste).

By packaging

Traditional packaging – Glass bottle dark color to protect the product from light and destruction. Disadvantages: fragility, weight and incomplete protection from light exposure. Advantages – you can visually examine and evaluate the contents.

A more modern and technologically advanced packaging is a tin can. Used a metal sheet has a special coating that completely eliminates oxidation of the product. Advantages: does not allow light to pass through, lightness and low cost. Disadvantage: inability to evaluate the content.

We hope that after reading our detailed information on how to choose olive oil, and which is the best of all those presented on our market, the choice will no longer be so difficult for you.

We wish you to consciously choose what to eat and how to eat!

Which brand of olive oil you should buy depends on your intended use. Italians, Spaniards, and Greeks love crispy, still warm baguettes, drizzled with olive oil and chopped tomatoes. And modern salad recipes and frying foods over high heat are also rarely complete without this product.

The best brands of olive oil are labeled "extra virgin"

A dessert spoon of olive oil on an empty stomach for three months helps to cure stomach ulcers and gastritis, while a spoonful of sunflower oil in such a situation can provoke hepatic colic and exacerbation of gastrointestinal diseases.

It is also added to lotions, used as a base for masks, hair and skin care products, and even applied to the body for a bronze tan. But most of the properties are associated with oral use - this is the benefit of monounsaturated fats. Thanks to the oil, calcium is properly absorbed in bone tissue, and blood vessels become more elastic. Plus – vitamins E, K, D.

The ideal color of the product is from golden (yellow) to a pleasant greenish tint. The aroma should be reminiscent of spices and cut grass; it is rich and slightly bitter. Oddly enough, this is an indicator of virgin oils.

Selected brands of olive oil: what are the advantages?

The main thing is to understand why the product is being purchased. Refined oil is suitable for frying (carcinogens will not arise from natural “thick” substances). But for adding to porridges and salads on bread, aromatic bread labeled “virgin” is suitable.

The labels contain phrases that hide a lot of useful information. It is important to remember that the bitterness of low-grade varieties of olive oil is sometimes eliminated chemically, which is not always a good thing.

Signs to pay attention to:

• Extra virgin olive oil is an ideal first-press product with low acidity (about 0.8 per 100 g), which is appreciated by lovers proper nutrition. Price – from 300 rub. up to 1.5 thousand rubles per liter. It is inferior to Virgin olive oil and Ordinary virgin olive oil. This is also the highest category of first-press products; it differs only in acidity and physical processing.
• Refined vegetable fats are labeled Refined olive oil, whose physical characteristics are positively assessed by crisp lovers.
• Olive-pomace oil is created on the principle of combining something pleasant (for producers) with something useful, when they combine first-press products and Refined olive oil. But nutritionists may not recognize such a union.

The lowest standard is considered oil obtained by squeezing from the finished cake. Significant disadvantage: the use of chemicals in the production process and the low concentration of beneficial microelements.

The method of storing the product remains interesting - in a dark, dry place. You can conduct an experiment: pour it into a container and put it in the refrigerator. High-quality oil will become dense and thick, which disappears at room temperature.

About 400 companies supply olive oil to Russia. Most of the approximately 80 thousand tons of its exports come to us from Spain, Italy, Greece, Tunisia and Portugal. How to choose a truly high-quality product from this variety?

The most juice

The best and most expensive olive oil is the one with the inscription extra virgin (vergine, vierge) on the label. This term means that we have a completely natural product, produced exclusively mechanically, without the use of chemicals, and there are no flaws or shortcomings in the taste of the oil. It differs more from just virgin, ordinary virgin and lampante virgin high content oleic acid.

Extra virgin oil is made using ancient technologies, only slightly modernized. For example, even today in many farms olives are harvested by hand. The maximum of mechanization is the use of a special device, similar to a rake, with which olives are shaken from the branches. The fact is that due to mechanical damage, raw materials quickly deteriorate, which worsens the taste of the product. The olives are washed, crushed together with the pits, placed under a press and the oil is squeezed out of them.

Taste and color

The color of olive oil depends on the region of growth, variety and degree of ripeness of the olives and ranges from greenish to golden. There is no single standard for its taste. Thus, Italian tasters count about 400 “versions” of extra vergine - according to the number of olive varieties. The most refined oil is the one with a slight artichoke flavor. The uninformed consumer should know: the best types of oil are slightly bitter! But oil can be really bitter if it is made from unripe olives. Disadvantages also include the taste of canned vegetables, fermentation, the smell of earth (if the raw materials are poorly washed), as well as the lack of a specific taste and smell inherent only to olives. The most common defect is the rancid smell that appears.

Main criterion quality of olive oil is its acidity. The lower this figure, the better. Manufacturers, as a rule, do not display this parameter on the label. And if they do this, it is solely for advertising purposes.

You can test olive oil for naturalness at home. Place the product in the refrigerator for two to three days. If a white precipitate appears - stearin - you have made the right choice. When stored at room temperature, olive oil will regain its original clarity and you will be able to enjoy the natural taste of “liquid gold”.

To the last drop

To literally squeeze every last drop out of the olives, the pomace is re-pressed under high temperatures and chemical agents. The resulting oil is suitable for cooking, but in terms of beneficial properties it is inferior to extra virgin. On labels such oil may be designated as “pure”, “for frying”, Pure, Pomace. Often this oil is a blend of olive oil with cheaper varieties of vegetable oils, in particular sunflower oil, which should be indicated on the label.

Useful facts

✓ Frying in unrefined oil causes a lot of controversy. The flash point of extra virgin, at which the oil begins to decompose, forming harmful substances, - 160ºС. However, all of Europe fries with extra virgin! The fact is that housewives mainly use sauteing, in which the oil is heated to a completely harmless 120ºC. The transition through the “critical line” occurs only when deep-frying, and this method is used infrequently.

✓ Researchers from the University of Philadelphia believe that olives have the ability... to reduce pain. Scientists made a similar conclusion after they discovered that fresh olive oil irritates the walls of the throat in the same way as the painkiller ibuprofen does.

✓ In 100 g butter 32 g of unsaturated (“good”) fats, and in 100 g of olive oil there are 84 g of them!

Expert opinion

Tatyana ANOKHINA, head of the testing center GEAC "SOEX" of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation:

Quality of any vegetable oil determined by its fatty acid composition. According to this indicator, all today's competitors meet the requirements for olive oil. Another important indicator quality and safety - peroxide value (active oxygen content). It is not just normal for our oils, but significantly lower than the maximum permissible level. No toxic elements, pesticides, benzopyrene, radionuclides or GMOs of plant origin were found in the samples. And the organoleptic indicators of the subjects ( appearance, taste, color and smell) were beyond praise. Let's admit, choosing the winners was very difficult! But a competition is a competition. And the first place in it was taken by MONINI olive oil. Silver went to BORGES oil, and bronze to ITLV oil.

Text: Evgenia Danilova

Test: olive oil*

* Thank you for your help in conducting the GEAC “SOEX” test

Applications for the next season have now begun - it will close in February. To participate, you don’t have to come to New York - all you need to do is send three bottles of oil to America, and it will be evaluated by a competent jury. As a rule, there are many winners: the best producers are awarded gold and silver insignia. Oils that earn the highest marks from the jury receive the “Best in Class” award - the best in their class. This year, 12 European oils and six from other countries were recognized as “best in class”: Argentina, South Africa, Chile and Australia.

We tell you about the European winners - now you know what to bring from your trip, besides wine and cheese.

Domenica Fiore Olio Riserva,Italy

The Domenica Fiore company is located in the Italian region of Umbria, in the beautiful small town of Orvieto. The company produces not only oil, but also tomato paste, and honey. Products are often celebrated at exhibitions and competitions.

Other oils from the manufacturer received gold and silver awards at the competition.

M'Olive OilCroatia

This year's competition was a success for Croatian producers, with a total of 22 olive oil brands receiving awards. The oil from OPG Makek from Rovinj, a picturesque city on the border with Italy, was recognized as “best in class”.

Oro del Desierto Organic Coupage,Spain

This oil is produced in Andalusia, one of the most gastronomically rich and developed regions of Spain. Oro del Desierto was ranked second among the best extra virgin olive oils in the world and third overall.

MIMI Coratina,Italy

The Mimi company is located in Modugno, Apulia, a small town near Bari. Puglia is one of the main suppliers of olives and oil for Italy and other countries. This region is even called the “olive paradise” - the groves cover almost the entire flat part of Apulia and reach the Adriatic Sea.

Fonte di Foiano Grand Cru,Italy

Unlike Domenica Fiore, Fonte di Foiano deals exclusively with oil. The company is based in Tuscany, in the city of Livorno. Travelers are always welcome here for a tasting - .

La Cultivada Hojiblanca,Spain

La Cultivada Hojiblanca oil, spicy and slightly bitter, is produced in Andalusia. This is not surprising - olives are considered the “green gold” of Andalusia. The Spanish poet Antonio Machado even compared the character of the indigenous inhabitants of this region to an olive tree - they are both hardy and unpretentious.

Castillo de Canena Biodynamic Picual,Spain

Castillo de Canena is another producer from Spanish Andalusia on the list of the best. The bottle is marked “biodynamic” - this production method involves preserving maximum beneficial properties. The bouquet contains notes of mustard, grass and artichoke.

Pago deQuiros,Spain

Pago de Quiros is a certified organic variety from Toledo.

This city is located in central Spain. The old town of Toledo is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Although there are still slightly fewer olive groves in the community of Castile-La Mancha than in Andalusia, the local olive oil is known far beyond the borders of Spain. There is even an olive festival here - at the end of April, in the small town of Mora del Toledo.

VergalFrantoio, Croatia

The Vergal olive groves are located near Istra. The award went to oil from the Frantoio olive variety, which is also widely grown in Italy. Frantoio olives are used to make the famous spicy Tuscan oil.

Dehesa de la Sabina, Spain

Andalusia is back on the list. Dehesa de la Sabina oil is produced by a small company called La Olivilla. La Olivilla values ​​an individual approach - on the company’s official website you can not only read about the oil, but also.

TreFort, Italy

This Italian oil is made near Lake Garda. The company was opened by the enterprising Paolo Bonomelli, who in 2001 launched a new brand and began producing TreFort oil, which has won many international awards.

Noviembre, Spain

Finca Las Manillas is located in the town of Arquillos in Andalusia. It was created in 1878.

Noviembre is made from picual olives, a variety with a high oil content. The variety got its name because of the pointed shape of the fruit (“pico” - top). Picual is considered to be an ideal variety for oil production.