a bottle of Terra Creta Grand Cru extra virgin olive oil between a plate of delicacies and the EVOOWR Top 10 badge

For the first time, a Greek extra virgin olive oil was ranked in the Top Ten worldwide by the EVOO World Ranking (WR). Terra Creta’s Grand Cru earned the first of Greece’s 24 spots on the 2020 list of the Top 100 EVOOs of the World. Excelling with Koroneiki and flavored olive oils, Greece more than doubled its awards and EVOOs of the Year compared to 2019.

a bottle of Hypereleon extra virgin olive oil, with olive olive oil from it being poured into a spoon

Are you looking for food that is both tasty and nutritious? Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is the perfect choice. With scientists finding more evidence for EVOO’s health benefits all the time, international olive oil competitions have begun to present awards for healthy elements as well as flavor. In 2020, Greek EVOOs earned many awards in both categories.

Bottles of Sakellaropoulos Organic Farming olive oils lined up in a row

Cooking at home? Looking for easy-to-use, healthy natural flavors? Based on the healthiest oil for cooking and finishing, flavored olive oils offer cooks a wide range of intriguing options. This inspired Greek Liquid Gold to highlight several of the Greek flavored olive oil condiments that won top awards at international olive oil competitions this year.

two young children having a picnic outdoors, with one of them holding a bottle of Goutis Estate olive oil

Concerned about staying healthy, we value nutritious food more than ever. We especially value food that combines superb flavor with health benefits, as extra virgin olive oil does. So Greek Liquid Gold is spotlighting several of this year’s top award-winning Greek olive oil companies, starting with a few of the world’s best extra virgin olive oils.

A dark bottle of Olive Poem olive oil on the left, the word Biolnovello on the top right, and an Extra Gold medallion drawing below it

Competing with approximately 200 producers, Greek olive oil companies took home six medals at the 2019 Biolnovello organic extra virgin olive oil competition in Apulia, Italy: two extra golds, one gold, and three silvers. One Greek extra virgin olive oil, Olive Poem, was also honored as one of the international competition’s top 13 organic olive oils.

Sakellaropoulos Organic Farming's 8 award-winning products lined up in a row, with the Olivinus logo and "8 out of 8" above them

At the 2019 Olivinus International Olive Oil Competition in Mendoza, Argentina in early September, Greek extra virgin olive oils won 10 quality awards, while Greek flavored olive oil condiments took home 7 prizes. This was an especially impressive showing in a competition with 194 olive oils from 18 countries, many of them from the Southern Hemisphere.

Emmanouil Karpadakis of Terra Creta with Maria Paola Gabusi of Leone D'Oro

In 2019, five Greek olive oil companies won acclaim for their excellent extra virgin olive oils at four highly selective international olive oil competitions in Italy. These honors for Kyklopas, Terra Creta, Pamako, Olympus, and Papadopoulos Olive Oil – Mediterre are notable because the competitions present far fewer awards than most international contests. 

bottles of Papadopoulos olive oil in an olive tree

At the 2019 TerraOlivo Mediterranean International Olive Oil Competition in Israel, 29 judges tasted 471 oils from 20 countries. Greek extra virgin olive oils were honored with 1 Top Ten award, 2 Special awards, 19 Grand Prestige Gold awards, 14 Prestige Golds, 14 Golds, and 11 Packaging Design awards. Some of the Greek winners discussed their triumphs.

A white LIA olive oil bottle next to its Best in Messenia award certificate

Competing with 431 olive oils from 17 countries at the EVO International Olive Oil Contest in Italy, Greek extra virgin olive oils took home 20 Gold awards and 22 Silvers. The 18 judges from 10 countries also awarded 4 Golds and 4 Silvers to Greek condiments based on extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). Some of the top Greek winners shared their reactions.

Five bottles of different Goutis Estate olive oils in a row

Competing with 433 olive oils from 26 countries, Greek extra virgin olive oils won 134 awards for their flavor or health benefits at the 2019 London International Olive Oil Competition. Panel leader Emmanuel Salivaras reported that even with fewer entries in this difficult harvest year, Greek producers “managed to increase their Gold awards by about 29%.”

a man holding a blue tasting glass for a woman to smell

Have you ever seen 201 award winning extra virgin olive oils in one room? If you were at the Athena International Olive Oil Competition’s tasting day and awards ceremony at the Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens in April, you not only saw them but tasted any that struck your fancy. Like Anita Zachou, you had a chance to experience “an explosion of the senses!”

Kostas Protoulis and his two sons examining olive oil at a table

This year, 20 Greek olive oils won BIOL International Prizes for the best organic extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) in the world. Thirty judges from 10 countries awarded Greek EVOOs 3 Extra Gold medals, 6 Golds, and 11 Silvers in a competition with 350 olive oils from 15 countries. Some of the top Greek winners discussed their award winning organic olive oils.

olives on a conveyor belt being washed in the olive mill

Competing with 242 samples from ten countries, Greek olive oils earned 25 awards from an international jury at the Japan Olive Oil Prize (JOOP) competition for 2019: 5 Best in Class quality awards, a Best Package award, 11 Gold Awards, and 8 silvers. Several of the top Greek winners discussed the efforts, emotions, olives, and methods behind their success.

a bottle of Goutis Estate Blossom olive oil next to plates with blossoms and colorful Japanese appetizers

Competing with 701 samples from 24 countries at Olive Japan, Greek olive oils won 3 Gold Medals and 28 Silvers. Some of the top Greek winners shared their reactions and priorities, as well as the techniques that helped produce a variety of excellent extra virgin olive oils in a year when many producers struggled with adverse weather and the olive fly.

ATHIOOC blue tasting glasses in front of arches

Competing with 364 samples from 14 countries, Greek olive oils won 65 medals and several special awards at the 4th edition of the Athena International Olive Oil Competition. Judged by 20 tasters from a dozen nations at the first parliament building of modern Greece in Nafplio, the top Greek winners told Greek Liquid Gold about their commitment to quality.

the winners of the Kotinos competition standing next to each other, holding their awards

For the fourth year, the Filaios Friends of Olive Oil Society sponsored the Greek national Kotinos Olive Oil Competition. At the Food Expo in Athens, awards were presented to Greek extra virgin olive oils made from 14 different olive varieties in many parts of the country, highlighting producers’ ability to excel even in a difficult harvest year.

Competition organizer Eleftheria Germanaki (right) accepting a plaque from tasting panel leader Efi Christopoulou

At the 5th Cretan Olive Oil Competition awards ceremony in Rethymno on March 24, regional dignitaries and Greek and international olive oil judges joined a packed house of Cretan olive oil producers. They discussed the state of the Cretan olive oil sector and celebrated excellent Greek extra virgin olive oils produced in this challenging harvest year. 

three men from the Liokareas team with their fresh olive oil in the olive mill

At the 20th Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition this year, Greek extra virgin olive oils captured 23 quality awards and 14 design awards. After competing with 530 olive oils from 302 producers from 17 countries, some of the top Greek winners discussed the ways they overcame adversity to excel in this very difficult harvest year.

part of a bottle of the Papadopoulos Olive Oil company's Mythocia olive oil lying on its side next to green olives

Greece won more than twice as many olive oil awards in 2018 as in the previous year, according to one ranking system. The EVOO World Ranking by the World Association of Journalists and Writers of Wines, Liquors and Others states that Greece won 437 awards in 20 of the contests they considered. Some of the top ranked winners from Greece share their reactions.

Cristina Stribacu of LIA at the archaeological site of Paestum

At the EVO International Olive Oil Contest (EVO IOOC) in Paestum, Italy this year, 70% of the Greek extra virgin olive oils that entered won awards. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Paestum--originally the ancient Greek city of Poseidonia in Magna Grecia--formed a striking backdrop for the ceremony where premium Greek olive oils received 52 of the awards. [Update: guide to winners now available.*]

a donkey or mule carrying burlap bags full of harvested olives in a hilly olive grove

Greek extra virgin olive oils won 39 quality awards at the TerraOlivo Mediterranean International Olive Oil Competition this year. TerraOlivo CEO Eyal Hasson praised Greeks’ “great performance this year” in competition with 506 samples of oil from 20 countries. Some of the top Greek winners discussed their olive oil, olive variety, location, and “secrets.”

Part of a bottle of Kyklopas Early Harvest extra virgin olive oil on the right, next to olive oil on a slice of white bakery bread on the left

In 2018, three Greek olive oil companies won awards or distinctions at four prestigious international olive oil competitions in Italy that honor an unusually small number of olive oils. This acclaim for Kyklopas, Pamako, and Argali confirms once again that Greek extra virgin olive oils belong in the kitchens of the most discerning cooks and chefs.

  1. 242 Premium Olive Oils and the Center of the Ancient World
  2. Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oils Win 124 Awards in London
  3. 45 Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oils Awarded at Olive Japan
  4. Greek Winners Discuss Athena Olive Oil Competition Success

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