{"id":7169,"date":"2026-08-12T11:31:45","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T09:31:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.suertealta.es\/blog\/quality-in-the-history-of-olive-oil\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T12:20:58","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T10:20:58","slug":"quality-in-the-history-of-olive-oil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.suertealta.es\/en\/blog\/quality-in-the-history-of-olive-oil\/","title":{"rendered":"Quality in the History of Olive Oil"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In 2007, a Picual EVOO won first prize from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture for the first time, establishing the quality of this variety.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

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KEY FACT<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In 2007, a Picual EVOO won first prize from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture for the first time, establishing the quality of this variety.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

The talk featured Br\u00edgida Jim\u00e9nez Herrera, Mar\u00eda Paz Aguilera Herrera and Anunciaci\u00f3n Carpio Due\u00f1as, who discussed the evolution of the sector and its great efforts to improve quality.<\/p>\n\n

The Origins of Olive Oil <\/em>Competitions<\/h2>\n\n

Anunciaci\u00f3n Carpio explained that in 1983 Expoliva organised the world’s first olive oil competition, the Concurso Internacional de los Mejores Aceites de Oliva (International Competition for the Best Olive Oils). In 1983, 1985 and 1987 there were no official tasting panels: individual tasters chose the best oils. <\/p>\n\n

The Picual<\/em> Revolution<\/h2>\n\n

Br\u00edgida Jim\u00e9nez shared the story of the Picual variety: in its early days there was a “Gran Picual” award precisely because Picual never won against Hojiblanca and other varieties. Research found that Picual, being an earlier-ripening variety (especially under irrigation), needed to be handled differently and harvested earlier than Hojiblanca. The breakthrough came in 2007, when a Picual won first prize from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, one of the most important awards in the country. <\/p>\n\n

The Future of EVOO, According to the Speakers<\/h2>\n\n

Br\u00edgida Jim\u00e9nez believes that extra virgin could rise from 30% to 70% of total production, although the sector will need to tackle climate change without becoming complacent: “We may produce less, but if what we produce is of higher quality, that could be very worthwhile.” Mar\u00eda Paz Aguilera added that the 2007 award encouraged the use of low temperatures and short malaxation times in Picual production, and that tasting sheets have evolved to make panels more objective (tastings at separate tables, with no prior communication between tasters, to avoid the “leader effect”). <\/p>\n\n

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Frequently<\/em> asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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