Italian producers were awarded both for their technological innovation and loyal adherence to traditional methods at the 2020 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition.
Frantoio Anteata, an extra virgin olive oil producer in Tuscany, won two Gold Awards.
“These great results derive from the research and the testing of new processing technologies that our company has been working on,” owner Daniele Lepori, told Olive Oil Times.
Frantoio Anteata won for their Piro and Da Noi a Voi.
See Also:Special Coverage: 2020 NYIOOC“Our focus is to optimize the molecular composition of our oil,” Lepori said. “To achieve this goal, we can count on innovative transformation facilities.”
“The oil mill uses an extracting technique that does not require any water,” he added. “The oil is then extracted from the fruit in a nitrogen-controlled environment, which not only bears a superior quality but also allows the oil to maintain its best qualities for longer.”
Frantoio Anteata worked closely with researchers from the Italian National Research Council (CNR) to field test new processing technologies.
“For the first time this season, we tested a new lens filter that gave huge results,” Lepori said. “Our first evidence hints to an unprecedented stability for the oil’s phenolic compounds over time.”
While adopting new technologies is widely regarded as a potential boost to overall production and quality, there are cases in which experience plays a pivotal role.
With a coveted Gold Award, the panel of judges at the 2020 NYIOOC recognized the qualities of Colle del Giachi, an extra virgin olive oil originating in the unique Chianti region of Tuscany, for the second year in a row.
Crafted by Olearia Giachi, a small-scale and high-quality producer that only bottles a few hundred half-liters of its extra virgin olive oil each year, the oil is produced under the authority of the Chianti Classico Consortium, which oversees the local Protected Designation of Origin.
“That is a small production of ours. We do not usually produce more than 600 bottles of Colle del Giachi,” Alberto Giachi, one of the two brothers who run the company that also produces several other varieties of olive oil, told Olive Oil Times. “It comes out of our experience in selecting the best fruits from the cultivars, Moraiolo and Correggiola.”
“We harvest those olives and in about half of a day, they are transformed by the local oil mill,” he added.
While it remains a specialized Chianti selection, Colle del Giachi has been refined year after year over three decades, Alberto said. The NYIOOC panel listed the oil tasting sensations as being bitter with flavors and aromas of almond, cinnamon, arugula, red chili pepper and parsley.
Another producer that has once again received accolades for its extra virgin olive oil at the competition is Melchiorri Gianfranco, a farm located close to the ancient heart of Spoleto, in the Umbria region.
After winning with different olive oils in past editions, Melchiorri Farm won this time for its L’Intenditore extra virgin olive oil.
“L’Intenditore is for the customers who reflect themselves in what its name suggests,” grower Alessandro Melchiorri told Olive Oil Times. Intenditore is the Italian word for “expert.”
“This is a product aimed at those who know the peculiarities of the extra virgin olive oil and are looking for the special tasting qualities of a monovarietal product coming from the Moraiolo cultivar,” Melchiorri said.
To the NYIOOC 2020 panel of judges, L’Intenditore is a delicate oil with tasting sensations of walnut, radish, pink pepper, flowers and green pepper.
“We are very happy to score this award with this product of ours since it shows how all of our extra virgin olive oils are among the best extra virgin olive oils on the market,” Melchiorri said.
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