Tasting the World’s Leading Olive Oils
Seville, Spain, 16-18 March 2011

In 11 years Extra Virgin Olive Oil Savantes has held over 20 olive oil tasting programmes in many countries – Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. During this time the three-day programme has evolved into one of the world’s leading independent forums for assessing the commercially important attributes of extra virgin olive oil.

Savantes informs those with a business or personal interest in olive oil on current taste and market trends around the world. This is achieved by providing:

• The leading extra virgin olive oils from around the world for tasting.
• Tutoring and refreshment of the sensory assessment of olive oils.

Blending was the focus of attention from New Zealand olive oil producers who participated in the New Zealand Savantes series.

Given a taste of a wide range of excellent extra virgin olive oils from the Mediterranean for comparison, making a different olive oil is the challenge.

One trend in the New Zealand oils tasted was the availability of more delicate oils to fill that end of the market. However, even the more delicate oils were considerably more robust than the very delicate oils from Liguria (Italy), Catalunya (Spain), Provence (France) and Messinia (Greece).

Given the high level of fish consumption in New Zealand, there is a place for these delicate oils in the local cuisine. Producing the full range of intensities of olive oil will also provide more flexibility in blending medium intensity oils.

The international award winners from Spain, Italy and Greece were tasted with enthusiasm and favourable comments made on the diversity of flavour and complexity. One conclusion was the winning extra virgin olive oils took the taster on a sensory journey of flavour, while with the run of the mill oils one has to search for aroma and taste descriptions.

Using their own olive oils with a little help from varietals provided by the organisers, participants successfully differentiated their blends to meet the flavour requirements of the full spectrum of consumers.