AND THE WINNERS ARE…
OLIO NUOVO DAYS 2023 is a very good year for our “boutique competition” with almost 120 entries from 13 countries: Algeria, France, Greece, Italy, Japan Lebanon, Morocco, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Spain, Tunisia and Usa.
During the 7th edition of Olio Nuovo Days held from 21-22 March 2023, over 120 olive oils produced in 13 countries (Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Morocco, Portugal, Slovenia, Tunisia and the USA) were entered in the competition for Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil. An international jury of professional tasters pre-selected 10 of these for the grand finale at the Ritz Paris presided over by renowned chef pâtissier François Perret. A special Design Prize was also awarded to the olive oil with the best packaging design by an international design jury chaired by Valérie Maltaverne, founder of the design firm YMER&MALTA.
The competition was held remotely with 15 juges to pre-select a top 10.
The top 10 Extra Virgin Olive Oils were tasted by an in person jury at Le Ritz Paris in Ritz Escoffier Culinary school with the famous Pastry Chef François Perret as President of the competition with 12 members of the jury.
THE TOP 10 EVOO alphabetically:
ABRAMI POLIPHENOLS Monocultivar Istrian White (Slovenia)
AŽMAN FAMILY “COUVEE” Blend (Slovenia)
BONA FURTUNA Monocultivar Biancolilla Centinara (Italy)
CASA SANTO AMARO Blend PRAEMIUM (Portugal)
JASA “CUVÉE” Blend (Slovenia)
JASA Monocultivar Istrian White (Slovenia)
MONTEOLIVA Monocultivar Pajarero (Spain)
MONTEROSSO PLATINUM Monocultivar Istrian White (Slovenia)
MORGAN Monocultivar Maurino (Slovenia)
OOTOPIA Monocultivar Koroneiki (Greece)
Monteoliva from Spain among the top ten quality olive oils
Among the top ten extra virgin olive oils selected by the quality jury is Monteoliva Oro Pajarero, a monocultivar from Spain developed by José Antonio López, manager of the Cooperativa Olivarera Virgen de la Sierra de Cabra.
“We are a cooperative in a small town located in the south of Spain,” says López, “so being among the 10 best extra virgin olive oils is a source of pride for all the farmers who make up our great family. Winning this award is a way of rewarding the good work of the farmer in such a complex year due to the scarcity of water in our region.”
Pajarero is a unique olive variety from the Sierra de Cabra region in southern Spain. “It’s a very delicate oil on the palate,” explains López. “Its name comes from the sweetness of the olive, so much so that the birds eat it at the beginning of the campaign, hence its Spanish name ‘Pajaro’ or bird.”
“This is the second time we participated in Olio Nuovo Days,” he adds. “We think it’s a good opportunity to get direct and professional feedback from both tasters and restaurants. This part is essential to promote our product in France.”
BEST OF SHOW
BEST EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL 2023 NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
JASA “CUVÉE” Blend
Jasa Couvée from Slovenia takes the top prize
The prize for Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2023 Northern Hemisphere was awarded to Jasa Couvée from Slovenia, a medium-fruity organic blend combining four varieties: Istrska Belica (Istrian White), Maurino, Leccino and Pendolino.
Though Slovenia is a small producing country, its high-quality extra virgin olive oils are attracting the attention they deserve.
“Big surprise and deep emotions,” this is how Arsen Jurinčič, the producer of Jasa described his reaction when he found out he won the top quality award at Olio Nuovo Days. “This is the biggest prize we won so far, and it’s a great promotion for Slovenia.”
“Our olives are picked at optimal ripeness and processed immediately,” he shares. “We use top processing machines and the technology of Officine Meccaniche Toscana, and the know-how of top oil maker Sandi Babič from Babičev. I must mention that the processing for five of the winning oils was done at his oil mill.”
Though it was the first time Jurinčič entered his Jasa olive oil into the Olio Nuovo Days competition, it had already collected several gold medals from many international competitions. Speaking about this new award earned in Paris, Jurinčič points out that quality inevitably reigns over quantity: “This new award is a confirmation that our planned path from the very beginning is moving in the right direction: we do not burden ourselves with the quantity of oil produced, but rather direct all our attention only on quality.”
BEST IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE (BEST IN CLASS)
BEST MONOCULTIVAR: MONTEROSSO PLATINUM Istrian White (Slovenia)
BEST BLEND: AŽMAN FAMILY COUVÉE (Slovenia)
BEST ORGANIC: BONA FURTUNA Biancolilla Centinara (Italy)
BEST HIGH PHENOLIC/HEALTH CLAIM: ABRAMI POLIFENOLI Istrian White (Slovenia)
BEST DOP/PDO: CASA SANTO AMARO Blend PRAEMIUM (Portugal)
PREMIUM GOLD (EXTRA GOLD)
Better than Gold – in alphabetical order
A&S Monocultivar Chetoui (Tunisia)
ABRAMI Monocultivar Istrian White (Slovenia)
ALELA Blend (Slovenia)
AŽMAN FAMILY Monocultivar Istrian White (Slovenia)
BONA FURTUNA Heritage Blend (Italy)
CASA SANTO AMARO PRAEMIUM Blend (Portugal)
CASA SANTO AMARO PRESTIGE Blend (Portugal)
DOMAINE ADONIS Monocultivar Sayali (Tunisia)
EFKRATO Monocultivar Tsounati (Greece)
HERDADE ESPORÃO Blend Selecçao (Portugal)
JASA Monocultivar Istrian White (Slovenia)
LE AMANTINE “NOI” Blend (Italy)
LE AMANTINE “LUI” Monocultivar Frantoio (Italy)
MONTEOLIVA Monocultivar Pajarero (Spain)
MONTEROSSO GRAND SELECTION Blend (Slovenia)
MORGAN Blend (Slovenia)
NUMIDIA Monocultivar Chemlal (Algeria)
OLICA Monocultivar Picual (USA)
OOTOPIA Monocultivar Koroneiki (Greece)
OOTOPIA Monocultivar Manaki (Greece)
PARCELLE 26 Blend (Tunisia)
POLIC ESTATE TRUSKE Blend HIGH PHENOLIC (Slovenia)
SECOLO21 Monocultivar Biancolilla (Italy)
TAKAO Monocultivar Nevadillo Blanco – Picual – (Japan)
TERRA CENTURIA Monocultivar Istrian White HIGH PHENOLIC (Slovenia)
TERRA CRETA “GRAND CRU” Monocultivar Koroneiki (Greece)
VANJA Monocultivar Itrana (Slovenia)
VANJA Monocultivar Maurino (Slovenia)
GOLD
in alphabetical order
ASUR Blend (Greece)
CHÂTEAU D’ESTOUBLON Monocultivar Salonenque (France)
CHÂTEAU D’ESTOUBLON Monocultivar Bouteillan (France)
CHRIS & OLIVE Monocultivar Koroneiki (Greece)
CONTRADA SCINTILIA Monocultivar Nocellara Del Belice (Italy)
CONTRADA SCINTILIA Monocultivar Biancolilla (Italy)
DeltaMi OIKOLOGIKO Blend (Greece)
DOMAINE ADONIS Monocultivar Chemlali (Tunisia)
DOMAINE ADONIS Monocultivar Chetoui (Tunisia)
EVITA Monocultivar Koroneiki (Greece)
FOTEINOS ESTATE Monocultivar Aegean Throumba (Greece)
FRANTOIO GALIOTO Monocultivar Moresca (Italy)
HERDADE ESPORÃO Monocultivar Galega (Portugal)
HERDADE ESPORÃO Blend Olival Dos Anrifes (Portugal)
I FIORI DI SANTA PERPETUA Monocultivar Coratina (Italy)
JOFAL TRADING CORPORATION Blend (Saudi Arabia)
KALAA ORGANICS Monocultivar Picholine (Morocco)
LE AMANTINE VOI Monocultivar Caninese (Italy)
LIOCHARIS Monocultivar Koroneiki (Greece)
MAKARIA TERRA Monocultivar Koroneiki (Greece)
MONOGRAM Blend (Greece)
OLICA Monocultivar Favolosa (USA)
OLICA Monocultivar Koroneiki (USA)
OLAYA Monocultivar Chetoui (Tunisia)
OOTOPIA Blend (Greece)
PARCELLE 26 Monocultivar Arbequina 1st Harvest
SOKIA Monocultivar Chemlali (Tunisia)
TERRA DELYSSA Monocultivar Chemlali (Tunisia)
VALE DOURO Blend (Portugal)
VASSILAKIS ESTATE Monocultivar Koroneiki (Greece)
SILVER
in alphabetical order
ABTERRA Monocultivar Nocellara Del Belice (Italy)
BELIA PREMIUM OLIVE OIL Monocultivar Koroneiki (Greece)
CHÂTEAU D’ESTOUBLON Beruguette (France)
CHÂTEAU D’ESTOUBLON AOP (France)
ESSARJ Monocultivar Chetoui (Tunisia)
MORESH Monocultivar PICHOLINE MAROCAINE (Morocco)
PARCELLE 26 Monocultivar Arbequina NOV (Tunisia)
SOLAR Monocultivar Souri (Lebanon)
IF YOU DO NOT SEE YOUR BRAND, PLEASE CONTACT US: north@olio-nuovo.com
DESIGN COMPETITION chaired by Valérie Maltaverne, YMER&MALTA
Herdade Do Esporão from Portugal wins the design award
After much careful deliberation, Valérie Maltaverne’s jury made up of a dozen style and art professionals, awarded the Olio Nuovo Days 2023 prize for Best Design to the Portuguese olive oil brand Herdade Do Esporão. “The design prize is just as important as one for quality,” says Maltaverne. “The design of a bottle includes its shape, colour, the label should relate to the brand, there should be a strong visual identity, and the bottle should be easy to pick up and hold. It should have a decorative aspect which adds to the aesthetics of the table.”
Antoine de Macedo, a watchmaker and founder of Horlogerie ADM, and specialist in collector’s watches, was one of the members of the design jury. A producer himself, he also has a passion for olive oil. “Judging the entries for the design prize wasn’t easy because each jury member has their own sensitivity and sense of aesthetics,” he says. “We were down to four bottles and spent a lot of time discussing our views of each one. The design prize is not only about good looks, we also considered how pleasant it was to touch and hold the bottle, while keeping in mind its practicality. With the chairperson’s guidance, we were able to come to an agreement and everyone was happy with the final choice.”
The design jury also presented an honourable mention (coup de coeur) to Château d’Estoublon from France for the exceptional design of the brand’s visual identity. “We are honoured to have won this award which recognises all the work put in by our team,” says Vérane Trachino, director of marketing and communication at Château d’Estoublon. “We put a lot of thought into the design of our new bottles and packaging. The new design hints at the hard work put into the olive groves on a daily basis as well as at our mill to produce our olive oils. We’re proud to have won this award just as we’re officially launching our new design.”
DESIGN COMPETITION, our TOP 5
BEST DESIGN Of Show
Good design is a concept defined by industrial designer Dieter Rams’s principles: It makes a product useful and understandable, is innovative, aesthetic, unobtrusive, honest, long-lasting, thorough to the last detail, environmentally friendly, and involves as little design as possible.
HERDADE DO ESPORÃO, PORTUGAL
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GRAPHIC DESIGN – Best Of Show
Graphic design is the art to communicate ideas or messages in a visual way.
LE AMANTINE, ITALY
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CLASSIC DESIGN – Best Of Show
Authoritative, worthy of imitation. Traditional in style or form, or based on methods developed over a long period of time, and considered to be of lasting value.
TERRA DELYSSA, TUNISIA
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COUP DE COEUR DU JURY
French expression translated literally as “blow of heart” typically used when referring to things that someone really likes whether it be an object or a person (favourites or crushes).
CHÂTEAU D’ESTOUBLON, FRANCE
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UNIQUE DESIGN – Best Of Show
The ability to think independently and creatively ; the quality of being novel or unusual.
MONOGRAM, GREECE
OLIO NUOVO DAYS Special Award
This prize rewards the care brought to the Design but also to the care brought to the whole packaging as the label, in this case, the delicate & beautiful embossed label
I FIORI DI SANTA PERPETUA , ITALY
