The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has awarded the Alimentos de España Best Extra Virgin Olive Oils Award, 2023-2024

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has awarded the Alimentos de España Best Extra Virgin Olive Oils Award, 2023-2024 campaign, in the category of Conventional Production in its modalities of "Bitter Green Fruity", "Sweet Green Fruity" and "Ripe Fruity", as well as in the category of Organic Production.

In this edition, the extra virgin olive oil that has received the highest organoleptic score in the blind tasting, and therefore has won the Special Food of Spain Award, was the oil presented by Almazaras de la Subbética, Carcabuey (Córdoba), belonging to the Protected Designation of Origin Priego de Córdoba, awarded as the best oil in the category of organic production. The special prize is awarded to the oil with the highest score obtained in the blind tasting of the winners in the four different categories.

This oil is characterized by its very intense fruity flavor of green olives, with notes of mint, leaf, alloza, thyme, tomato and other green fruits such as banana, apple and citrus. In the mouth it is slightly sweet and bitter, and medium to high intensity of spiciness. It is an almondy, persistent, highly complex and balanced oil.

In this category of Organic Production, the finalists were the oils presented by Finca la Torre, from Antequera (Málaga); and Oro Bailén Galgón 99, from Villanueva de la Reina (Jaén).

In the "Bitter Green Fruity" category, the prize went to the oil presented by Almazara de Muela, from Priego de Córdoba, with Protected Designation of Origin Priego de Córdoba. It is a very intense fruity oil of green olives, with notes of dry grass, artichoke, mint, tomato and other green fruits such as apple and banana. On the palate, it is slightly sweet, bitter and spicy of medium-high intensity and almondy of alloza. Overall, it is a balanced and complex oil.

The finalists in this category were the oils presented by Agrícola de Bailén Virgen de Zocueca, from Bailén (Jaén); and by Venchipa, from Ácula (Granada).

The award for best oil in the "Frutado Verde Dulce" category went to Sociedad Cooperativa Andaluza Olivarera La Purísima, from Priego de Córdoba, with the Priego de Córdoba Denomination of Origin. This oil is characterized by its intense fruity flavor of green olives, with green descriptors of banana, tomato, alloza, citrus and aromatic herbs. This oil is sweet and bitter on the palate, with a medium intensity spiciness. It is a balanced oil with a great variety of nuances.

The finalists in this category were the oils presented by Oro Bailén Galgón 99, from Villanueva de la Reina (Jaén); and by Olivarera Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, from Baena (Córdoba), with Protected Designation of Origin Baena.

In the "Ripe Fruity" category, the award goes to the oil presented by Centre Oleícola del Penedés, from Llorenç del Penedés (Tarragona), with Protected Designation of Origin Siurana. It is characterized for being an intense fruity oil of ripe olives with notes of almond, ripe apple and banana. In the mouth it is sweet and almondy, with sensations reminiscent of cinnamon, vanilla and nuts. With light bitterness and spiciness, it is a harmonious and balanced oil.

The finalists in this category were the oils presented by Agrodelpa, from Córdoba; and by Agrícola i Caixa Agraria i Seccio de Credit de Riudecanyes, from Riudecanyes (Tarragona), with Protected Designation of Origin Siurana.

The selection procedure for the winning oils, including sensory evaluation and physicochemical analysis, was carried out at the Agrifood Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The sensory evaluation was carried out with the participation of the heads of the different official tasting panels of the public administrations, directed and coordinated by the head of the Ministry's panel. Throughout the selection process, the traceability and anonymity of the 59 samples that participated in this edition of the competition was guaranteed.

These awards, which are part of the promotional actions of the #AlimentosdEspaña strategy, aim to highlight the excellence of Spanish olive oils and promote their knowledge and appreciation among consumers.

The award order has been published today in the Official State Gazette (BOE) and is available for consultation in this link