Italian farmers and millers combined to earn 147 awards at the 2024 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, more than any other country.
Italian extra virgin olive oil producers led the way at the 2024 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, securing 97 Gold and 50 Silver Awards, more than any other participating country. Judges awarded 68 percent of the 217 Italian labels submitted to the competition.
Although these results underscore the quality of Italian extra virgin olive oils, the modest success rate did not come as a surprise, as the winning producers coped with a very challenging harvest.
The 2023/24 crop year included extreme weather events from north to south, including prolonged droughts, scorching summer heatwaves, severe winds and hailstorms.
While southern Italy reported strong performances, boosting overall production volumes, the northern and central regions experienced a disastrous campaign.
See Also:The best extra virgin olive oils from Italy“This has been one of the toughest seasons I can recall, plagued by adverse weather and persistent olive fruit fly attacks,” said Alessandra Nicolai, owner of Gold Award-winning Millenovecento 80 in central Italy.
Nestled in the heart of Latium’s Etruscan region, north of Rome, Millenovecento 80 is steeped in a century-old tradition of olive growing.
“Fortunately, several of our olive orchards in the Bolsena Lake area remained productive, allowing us to meet production goals,” Nicolai said. “However, in our region, I’ve witnessed many orchards completely barren of olives.”
She emphasized that enhancing the production of high-quality extra virgin olive oil in Italy hinges on implementing supportive policies and increasing consumer awareness.
“To engage consumers, we host guided olive oil tastings, showcasing our unique approach to the extraordinary world of olive oil,” Nicolai said.
“We’re thrilled with the Gold Award,” she added. “It’s the culmination of years of hard work, sacrifice, and continual improvement. We strive to enhance our campaign each year and achieve even better results.”
Despite a few setbacks from late-season hailstorms, most olive oil producers in Puglia, located in Italy’s southern heel, reported a successful season.
The NYIOOC Gold Award did not surprise the Vieste brothers, Pasquale, Vincenzo, Giacomo and Raffaele, who manage the Oleificio Fratelli Vieste in Puglia.
“We were looking for this result. We have been so attentive in managing the grove and the whole production phase,” Raffaele Vieste said. “Winning in New York means so much to us, as it tells us we are on the right path.”
“Growing healthy fruit has become more challenging than in the past, mostly because of the unpredictability of the climate,” he added. “That also means carefully monitoring every phase after vegetation, adopting more sustainable and natural products and combating the olive fruit fly with traps.”
The award-winning Cristalda e Pizzomunno extra virgin olive oil gets its name from a local legend about two lovers thwarted by envious sea sirens.
After resisting the sirens’ temptations, the lovers were transformed – the man into a rock and the woman into a siren. Legend holds that they reunite every 100 years through the sea god’s grace.
“We aim to share this cherished legend, passed down through generations,” Vieste said. “Customers are drawn to the story and the unique bottle design by local artist Raffaele Montemorra.”
“Our flagship product excels both sensorially and as a narrative medium. We couldn’t be prouder of its success,” he added.
Another Apulian winner, Archidamo III, also won a Gold Award in New York. Archidamo III earned its fourth NYIOOC award in a row.
“Those wins tell us, our customers and the whole world, that Apulian high-quality olive oil remains world-class even in these challenging times,” said owner Ernesto Maria Buondonno. “We wanted to participate in the competition because we are located in a region where olive oil production risks being abandoned.”
“It was a way to gather new energy at a moment when Apulian olives are hit by Xylella fastidiosa,” he added. “It was a way to show that regenerative agriculture, good practices on the field and innovation can deliver results and enhance resilience.”
Despite the challenges posed by the deadly olive tree bacterium, the area was blessed with a good harvest.
“We had not one but several bad seasons,” Buondonno said. “This time, we had some rain in the spring at the perfect moment. Maybe the yields could be larger, but the quality is very high.”
“This extraordinary region still has so much to say, and that is why we are investing in 5,000 new olive trees of different cultivars, stemming from the Apulian unique heritage of biodiversity,” he added.
The challenging season confronting many Tuscan producers in central Italy did not hamper their resilience. Frantoio Pruneti has been awarded at the NYIOOC every year since 2016 and earned another Gold Award in 2024.
“In the last few years, many things have changed,” said co-owner Gionno Pruneti. “We invested heavily in our new olive oil mill and the latest technologies. We also invested in the groves, recovering abandoned orchards and planting 12,000 new trees, including traditional olive varieties and others almost unheard of.”
“The months preceding the harvest were uncertain due to the weather,” he added. “After the first tests, though, we realized that we found the traditional significant notes in our olive oils, and an excellency once again confirmed.”
Pruneti said the company’s innovative approach in the groves and the mill has allowed them to overcome the challenges posed by pests while endowing the resulting extra virgin olive oil with distinctive herbal notes.
Despite a challenging season for many in northern Italy, Agraria Riva del Garda, a renowned cooperative along Italy’s largest lake, once again celebrated winning a Gold Award for its Uliva brand.
“The award fills us with satisfaction and, above all, confirms that the path we have taken to maintain, and possibly improve, the quality standards of our products is the right one,” said Furio Battelini, who leads Agraria’s technical unit.
Located near the 46th parallel, historically the northernmost boundary for olive cultivation, Uliva’s success stems from the unique Casaliva cultivar and the dedicated efforts of around 1,200 local producers.
“We have experienced a succession of absolutely positive years and others that were extremely difficult in recent years,” Battelini said.
Agraria’s chief olive expert believes adapting to the weather and climate change necessitates continual innovation in farming practices and olive processing techniques.
“‘Our commitment to sustainable development never ceases,” he said. “Each season brings challenges, but our consistent results affirm that we’re interpreting these variations correctly.”
“Indeed, the consistent quality, certified by the NYIOOC, signifies that the region, the olive varieties, and the capability in cultivation in the olive grove and processing in the mill are managed in the best way,” Battelini concluded.
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