Ercole Olivario, a competition of the best Italian extra virgin olive oils, concluded its 32sd edition April 6th in Perugia at the San Francesco al Prato auditorium, a cultural venue in the Umbrian capital.
Promoted by the Italian Union of Chambers of Commerce of Industry, Crafts and Agriculture (Unioncamere), with the collaboration of the Chamber of Commerce of Umbria, Ercole Olivario is the only national institutional competition dedicated in the olive oil sector.
See also:Olive oil competition news
Expanded in recent years with the addition of several parallel initiatives, the competition aims to promote Italian olive oil producers and support quality-focused businesses.
During the closing event, Federico Sisti and Giorgio Mencaroni, respectively secretary general and president of the Umbria Chamber of Commerce, announced the 12 winners of the coveted trophy, consisting of a miniature replica of the temple of Hercules Olivarius.
Two producers from Umbria, Sardinia and Puglia were awarded, and one producer from Trentino-Alto Adige, Tuscany, Molise, Campania, Calabria and Sicily was also awarded.
Half of the winning producers are certified Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI).
The award-winning olive oils will be the subject of the shelf life monitoring project, which will be carried out in collaboration with the University of Perugia.
“For this edition we presented this experimental research project which once again confirms the prestige of the competition,” said Mencaroni.
“It is carried out through instrumental and sensory analyzes and focuses on data regarding the long-term storage of finalist extra virgin olive oils,” he added. “By paying particular attention to their health properties, the study will provide useful information to both producers and consumers.
Meanwhile, eight prizes were awarded to producers from Sicily, Puglia, Lazio and Abruzzo in the fourth edition of the table olive quality competition, with one prize per processing method.
In addition, three Sicilian PDO farmers and two toucan and Apulian producers were rewarded during La Goccia d’Ercole (The Drop of Hercules), dedicated to small Italian producers.
Sisti said the side competition was created to give small producers, some of whom may not meet the minimum production requirements for larger competitions, a chance to experiment and have their extra olive oils judged. blanks by a panel of experts.
“It has in fact become an incubator, where we discover exceptional extra virgin olive oils, and also an experience through which farmers have the chance to train to participate in the main competition in the future and better face the competition of the global market,” he said. said.
Regional juries selected the Ercole Olivario participants during tastings carried out over the previous weeks. In certain regions, selections were made by competition.
Fifteen Lazio brands were admitted after winning the Premio Roma Evo organized by the Rome Chamber of Commerce, while 13 Umbrian brands were selected in the Oro Verde dell’Umbria competition organized by the local Chamber of Commerce.
The jury of the national competition was composed of 16 professional tasters from all participating Italian regions, led by a jury head and a coordinator.
The event also saw the launch of the first report on oil tourism in Italy, the result of a collaboration between the Città dell’Olio association, the Unaprol-Coldiretti consortium and Roberta Garibaldi, a leading expert in food and wine tourism.
According to their study, the country’s oil tourism industry comprises around one million companies with a production value of almost 2 billion euros.
The report contains detailed data, further insights into the attractiveness of the sector and best practices of Italian companies developing an oil tourism hospitality project.
The organizers of Ercole Olivario recently presented the special Giorgio Phellas prize for oil tourism, awarded to the Sicilian company Mandranova.
“We are really delighted with this recognition because we firmly believe in the potential of oil tourism,” said co-owner Silvia Di Vincenzo. Olive Oil Times. “Our company is close to the Valley of the Temples of Agrigento, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and tourist reference point.
“We have a receptive structure where we welcome people from all over the world and engage them in mini olive oil tasting courses,” she added. “These classes include an explanation of the entire production process, information on the nutritional properties of extra virgin olive oil and suggestions for culinary pairings.
“We want those who visit our company to understand what high-quality extra virgin olive oil is and what is behind its production,” Di Vincenzo continued.
During the event, other special awards were given to companies from Tuscany, Molise, Trentino-Alto Adige, Calabria and Umbria, which stood out in various areas, such as female and youth entrepreneurship, digital communication and packaging.
Finally, the best single variety of the season, produced in Sardinia, received a mention of merit.
The Ercole Olivario winners for each category are:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Slightly Fruity
- First Classified: Molensis, Marina Colonna, Molise
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Medium Fruity
- First announcement: GangaLupo, Azienda Agricola Bisceglie Maria, Puglia
- Second ranked: Alphabetum, Masoni Becciu di Deidda Valentina, Sardinia
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Intense Fruity:
- First classified: Concordu, Nicola Solinas, Sardinia
- Second Ranked: Torchia, Oleificio Torchia, Calabria
- Third classified: Schinosa, Aziende Agricole Di Martino, Puglia
AOP/IGP – Light Fruity:
- First Classified: Batta DOP Umbria Colli del Trasimeno, Frantoio Batta, Umbria
AOP/IGP – Moderately Fruity:
- First Classified: Colleruita DOP Umbria Colli Assisi – Spoleto, Azienda Agraria Viola, Umbria
- Second classified: Brioleum Garda DOP Trentino, Azienda Agricola Brioleum, Trentino-Alto Adige
- Third ranked: Agrestis Nettaribleo Dop/Bio DOP Monti Iblei – Monte Lauro, Società Cooperativa Agricola Agrestis, Sicily
P.DO/IGP – Intense Fruity:
- First Classified: Hirpinia DOP Irpinia – Colline dell’Ufita, San Comaio, Campania
- Second Ranked: Organic Bio IGP Toscano, Frantoio Franci, Tuscany
The winners of the Goccia d’Ercole are:
Extra virgin olive oil:
- First announcement: Biologico, Società Agricola Buonamici Srl Unipersonale, Tuscany
- Second classified: Rodonea, Società Agraria Petrizzelli Snc, Puglia
- Third Ranked: Selezione del Conte, Tenuta il Corno, Tuscany
AOP/IGP:
- First Classified: Foglie di Platino IGP Sicilia Biancolilla Bio Premier Cru, Società Agricola Vincenzo Signorelli & Partners Srl, Sicily
- Second Classified: DOP Involio Nocellara del Belice, l’Azienda Vitivinicola Casa di Grazia di Di Francesco Maria Grazia, Sicily
- Third classified: Don Peppino IGP Sicilia, Azienda Agricola Sikulus, Sicily
The Ercole Olivario website and social media pages provide a complete list of 2024 winners and information on scheduled events.