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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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%.”
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!”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.*]
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.”
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.
What do the Spanish embassy chef, an Italian olive oil producer, the Lebanese ambassador, a Japanese woman living in Athens, and the former chef for the late French president François Mitterrand have in common? An olive oil tasting day in Athens for the 242 award winning extra virgin olive oils at the Athena International Olive Oil Competition (ATHIOOC).
At the London International Olive Oil Competitions this year, 16 judges from 11 countries evaluated the quality of 426 olive oils from 21 countries around the globe. Greek extra virgin olive oils won 99 Quality Awards. In the International Health Claim and Design competitions, Greeks won another 25 awards for extra healthy oils and exceptional packaging.
Toscolano Maderno, Italy. Entries will be accepted until 300 samples have been received, until February 1 for the international competition and until June 1 for the Southern Hemisphere, with tastings throughout the year for Selezione Leone and Leone in the Kitchen: "if you want a serious sensory evaluation, from November until April we can’t taste more."
Madrid, Spain. Entry deadline February 14, 2023. This is the International Olive Council's prestigious competition, with specific strict requirements found in the linked pdf file.
New York, USA. Only extra virgin olive oils will be considered. Samples are due by April 1 for Northern Hemisphere entries; Southern Hemisphere samples will be accepted July 1 to October 1, 2023. "The results for Northern Hemisphere entries will begin to be revealed on March 1st .... Southern Hemisphere results will begin rolling out in September." See the website for detailed instructions and information.
April 24-26, 2023, Tokyo, Japan. Registration deadline April 2. Samples must be received by April 6. Winners will be announced May 1. See the competition website for the “Buy 4 & get 1 free” offer.
May 4-6, 2023, Kavala, Greece. Last day for early bird registration: February 4. Last day for all registration: March 31. Final deadline for samples to reach organizers: April 5. Announcement of results: May 19.
May 2023, Montreal, Canada. Registration ends April 30. Samples due by May 10.
May 14-17, 2023, Italy. Registration and samples due May 5. Awards announced May 27.
May 21-23, 2023, London, UK. Samples due by May 10. Awards ceremony July 9.
"Despite a challenging harvest season, producers, farmers and bottlers from across Greece combined to earn a total of 79 awards at the 2022 NYIOOC."
"Winners from Greece continue to share their enthusiasm for their record number of NYIOOC awards, a sign that the Greek olive oil sector is alive and well."
Nice vignettes by Costas Vasilopoulos featuring a few of the Greek winners at the New York International Olive Oil Competition.
Four Greek olive oil companies were ranked among the top ten healthy extra virgin olive oils at the unusual World’s Best Healthy EVOO Contest in Spain.
"With the highest ever turnout from Greece, producers from Crete were among the most successful at this year’s NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition."
These are the Greek winners at the famous NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition for 2020. For more about some of the Greek winners, see also Greek Producers Achieve Record Wins at NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition and Greek Producers Continue to Celebrate Record Year at 2020 NYIOOC.
In spite of poor weather and trouble with pests, Greek producers took home a total of 35 awards at the 2019 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition.
"With the historically poor harvest season behind them, Greek producers who managed a win in New York are setting their sights on brand building and achieving consistent quality."
The COOC has been instrumental in elevating the extra virgin olive oils produced in Crete; here are some of the brands to look out for.
A list of the very healthy, high phenolic winners of the Aristoleo Awards for extra virgin olive oil and table olives, with a chart showing different uses for olive oils according to their phenolic content.
Greek producers like these New York International Olive Oil Competition winners have studied modern olive oil production methods and engaged in the persistent efforts necessary to make some of the world's best olive oils.
Costas Vasilopoulos spoke with several Greek winners at the 2018 New York International Olive Oil Competition, where Greece won more awards and more gold awards than it ever had before.
At the 4th Panhellenic Olive and Olive Oil Festival, which is organized by the Kalamata Agricultural Cooperative in cooperation with the regional and local government and other groups, important issues and food pairings were discussed, three people were honored for their contributions to the olive sector, and the Kalamata Olive Oil Awards were presented.
Thanks to science, experimental new methods and minute attention to detail, olive oil producers on Crete are forging new paths with an age-old product.
The winners of these awards produce especially healthy, high phenolic extra virgin olive oils. This is a good list to check out for particularly spicy olive oils full of health benefits. Awards ceremony at the 2nd Annual Aristoleo Conference “The Future of Olive Oil,” April 27-28, Nicosia, Cyprus.
When the Oleocanthal International Society convened last month, healthy Greek extra virgin olive oils won several awards at the World Best Healthy EVOO Contest and the Health and Food Awards, and scientists discussed research related to olive oil polyphenols.
First notes and photos from Cyprus about the recent conference focused on ultra-healthy high phenolic extra virgin olive oils, with awards presented to some of the healthiest olive oils in the world, including many from Greece and others made by Greek Cypriots.
Producers, marketers, and exporters of this year's best Greek olive oils share what their New York International Olive Oil Competition awards mean to them, how they manage to produce olive oils good enough to earn top honors, and how this fits in with their company philosophies.
"EVOOs were awarded by variety according 3 high phenolic types: Organic, Traditional, & Wild and based on the concentration of polyphenols in the 3 categories: TOTAL PHENOLS, OLEOCANTHAL & OLEACEIN, and OLEOCANTHAL." Many Greek EVOOs were winners.
The third edition of the competition had more entries and a higher percentage of organic olive oils than in previous years.
Twenty-one Greek extra virgin olive oils and two Greek flavored olive oils received Great Taste Awards in the United Kingdom this year.
Seven Greek olive oil companies won 10 of the awards at one of the world’s most eminent extra virgin olive oil contests, the OLIVINUS competition in Argentina.
The Oleocanthal International Society Conference and Olympia Health & Nutrition Awards featured breakthroughs in olive oil research, a new olive tree varietal, and an olive oil competition for high-phenolic oils.
Here is a list of award-winning companies from the 2016 Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition. Notice, for example Village Batch’s Best of Class Gold Medal and the Gold Medals of PJ Kabos (2 of them) and Laconiko.
Award-winning Greek producers discuss their reactions to the New York International Olive Oil Competition results and their efforts to produce the best olive oils in the world.
Here is a list of award-winning Greek companies from the 2016 New York International Olive Oil Competition (where some non-Greek companies happen to show up). See the article above for more details about the top Greek winners.
Toward the bottom of this page, you’ll find the lists of Silver, Gold, and Extra Gold medals for this competition in Puglia, Italy in March, with Greek companies on each list under the country “Grecia.” Note that Kyklopas, Olvia Green, and Mythocia won Extra Gold Medals.
Here is the awards list from this Athens competition, with many Greek winners.
The 2nd Cretan Olive Oil Competition took place March 19 to 20 in Rethymno, Crete, awarding prizes for the best standardized conventional and organic Cretan extra virgin olive oils from the 2015-16 production season.
If you click on the final word at the end of the paragraph on the linked page, it will take you to a list—unfortunately only in Greek—of the winners of the 2016 Kotinos competition in Athens.
The first Cretan Olive Oil Competition (in 2015) sought to promote high-quality Cretan olive oil brands and the special characteristics of the best Cretan olive oils, to improve their position in the local and global markets, and to upgrade the overall quality of Cretan oils by developing the expertise of participants.