Summary
The 33rd edition of Ercole Olivario, Italy’s olive oil competition, concluded in Perugia with awards given to 12 extra virgin olive oils out of 116 finalists. Lazio was the most awarded region, and the event also highlighted oleotourism initiatives and the importance of regional contests like Premio Roma Evo.
The 33rd edition of Ercole Olivario, Italy’s only institutional competition dedicated to the olive oil sector, concluded with an award ceremony held in Perugia, Umbria, at the Sala dei Notari in the historic Palazzo dei Priori, seat of the town hall.
A landmark for Italian producers, Ercole Olivario is a national competition for the best extra virgin olive oils, organized annually by the Italian Union of Chambers of Commerce for Industry, Handicraft and Agriculture (Unioncamere), in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce of Umbria.
See Also:Italian Producers Extend Reign of Excellence at World Competition
During the closing event, the organizers handed out trophies consisting of miniature replicas of the temple of Hercules Olivarius, built in Rome in the 2nd century B.C., from which the name of the contest originated.
Winners of the 33rd Ercole Olivario with Federico Sisti, secretary-general, and Giorgio Mencaroni, president of the Umbria Chamber of Commerce, in front of the Palazzo dei Priori in Perugia, Umbria. (Photo: Ercole Olivario)
Twelve extra virgin olive oils – half of which were Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) certified – out of 116 finalists were awarded after assessments carried out by a panel of 16 experienced tasters representing the competing regions.
The panel leader Stefania D’Alessandro led the team composed of Antonietta Altieri, Giuseppe Giordano, Francesco Girardi, Antonietta Matteo, Erika Pozzetto, Stefano Roggerone, Gianfranco Pontoglio, Donatella Di Sebastiano, Paolo Di Paolo, Nunzia Floriana De Palma, Piera Bacciu, Giovanna Montalto, Franco Pasquini, Piero Damiani, Erika Betti and Stefano Scuppa.
“The quality of the extra virgin olive oils participating in this edition was extremely high,” the tasters said unanimously after the tasting sessions.
They observed how, despite the many challenges of recent years, the Italian producers have been able to constantly improve their expertise both in the field and in the mill.
Lazio was the most awarded region with four accolades, followed by Emilia-Romagna, Abruzzo, and Sicily, each with two awards. Tuscany and Sardinia each obtained one recognition.
Another dozen special awards were presented, including a mention for the best organic extra virgin olive oil, which went to a producer from Lazio. Additionally, two producers from the same region were recognized for the best monocultivar, along with one producer from Campania and one from Puglia.
The latter region was the most awarded, with four accolades, at La Goccia d’Ercole (The Drop of Hercules), the section dedicated to small-scale producers. Puglia was followed by Umbria, with two awards. Sicily, Tuscany, Umbria, Campania and Calabria each took home one award.
Ercole Olivario has always been a showcase for the Italian producing regions. Over the last few years, oleotouristic initiatives have been put in the spotlight by the competition through the introduction of a new award, the ‘Giorgio Phellas Oleotourism Mention of Merit’, intended for companies that invest in the sector. This year’s mention went to a Sicilian company.
“We must continue to work on the territories with promotional actions to link food to tourism.”
said Andrea Prete, the president of Unioncamere, during the award ceremony. “We aim at enhancing a quality oleotourism offer, with a view to meeting the ever-growing demand.”
A distinctive feature of Ercole Olivario lies in preliminary selections. Every year, the extra virgin olive oils that participate in the national competition are selected during a first round of assessment by regional panels.
In Lazio, this led to the creation of a regional contest for the best extra virgin olive oils, which, over time, has gained a reputation. The Premio Roma Evo, held at the Chamber of Commerce of Rome, is now in its 32nd edition.
Among the winners is Azienda Agricola Alfredo Cetrone. After earning one of the first prizes at Premio Roma Evo, it entered the national competition, where it ranked first in the category PDO/PGI Intense Fruity with its Daje Colline Pontine PDO and second in the intense fruity category with its Cetrone In.
“It is a great satisfaction to win in this prestigious contest, and especially in the PDO and PGI category, since we have a special bond with our territory and we aim at highlighting it,” co-owner Giulio Cetrone told Olive Oil Times.
His company manages 20,000 Itrana olive trees spread across 100 hectares of mainly terraced terrain at elevations of 450 to 500 meters above sea level in Sonnino, in the province of Latina.
Traditionally processed for table olives in Lazio, where it originated, this olive variety has also been widely used in recent times to create excellent extra-virgin olive oils, often characterized by herbaceous and tomato notes.
“Our family has a long tradition of olive growing, and I am the fifth generation to manage these orchards,” Cetrone said. “We used to produce table olives until my father, Alfredo, had the intuition to harvest earlier and to use Itrana to obtain a monovarietal. This choice turned out to be successful.”
“Most of our plants are centuries-old and some of them are likely a thousand years old,” he added. “Our youngest olive trees were planted to produce oils with different profiles, but also aiming at biodiversity conservation. We collected cuttings of the different ecotypes of Itrana from across the province. We therefore planted them on a flat plot to form rows, each representing a town on the Pontine Hills. This is a further way to praise and protect our beautiful territory.”
Registration is now open until September 30th for Extra Cuoca, a contest dedicated to professional women chefs working in Italy and other countries. Ercole Olivario will award the best recipes created with the winning extra virgin olive oils.
More information on Extra Cuoca and a complete list of 2025 Ercole Olivario winners, including those from the table olive competition, can be found on the organization’s website and social media pages.