300 extra virgin olive oils entered the competition from 10 countries: Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Turkey, Portugal, Germany, France, Chile and - for the first time - Japan
Italy is the undisputed leader in terms of the quality of its extra virgin olive oils.
The winners were announced on the first day of EVOO Days, the new Veronafiere-Sol&Agrifood training and networking initiative in the olive oil sector.

With one gold medal more than last year, Italy improved its share of the medals to defeat Spain 12-3 in the duel between the world's best extra virgin olive oils which ended this evening in Verona after attracting entries by 300 samples from 10 countries (Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Turkey, Portugal, Germany, France, Chile and - for the first time - Japan). The international jury of 13 highly qualified judges from Greece, Turkey, Tunisia, Spain, Italy and Slovenia worked for six days in "blind tastings" to assess the oils.

The Sol d'Oro Northern Hemisphere 2017 competition saw Italy take four out of five gold medals envisaged in the award categories – delicate, medium and intense fruit, organic and single-variety – as well as all five silver medals and three bronze medals. Three medals, one gold and two bronze, went to Spain.

The announcement of the winners of Veronafiere's international competition rewarding the best extra virgin olive oils in the world took place this afternoon in Verona during the first day of EVOO Days, the new Veronafiere-Sol&Agrifood training and networking initiative in the olive oil sector.

As an internationally recognized certificate of quality, bottles of medal winning olive oils will be entitled to display the award received (Sol d'Oro, Sol d'Argento, Sol di Bronzo - gold, silver and bronze). Award-winning oils be given pride of place at Sol&Agrifood, the Quality Agro-Foods Exhibition scheduled 9-12 April 2017 (www.solagrifood.com), through dedicated initiatives themselves going back several years: from the "Sol d'Oro Stars" guide book for distribution to international buyers and Veronafiere delegates worldwide, to guided tastings and the Evoo Bar. For the second year, olive oils earning special mentions will be used during the finals of the Jam Cup; the 2nd Junior Assistant Master Trophy will take place precisely during Sol&Agrifood. The event highlights young members of the Italian Chefs Federation for the year 2017.

List of Winners SOL D'ORO Northern Hemisphere Competition - 2017

Delicate fruit category:

Sol d’Oro - Moli D’Oli Gabriel Alsina, Castello De Farfanya - Spain
Sol d’Argento - Leone Sabino, Canosa di Puglia (Barletta-Andria-Trani) - Apulia
Sol di Bronzo - Batta Giovanni, Perugia - Umbria

Medium fruit category:

Sol d’Oro - Cosmo Di Russo, Gaeta (Latina) - Latium
Sol d’Argento - Azienda Agricola Donato Conserva, Modugno (Bari) - Apulia
Sol di Bronzo - Aceites Oro Bailen Galgon, Villanueva de La Reina – Spain

Intense fruit category:

Sol d’Oro Tenuta Zuppini, Torricella Sicura (Teramo) - Abruzzo
Sol d’Argento - Agricola Quattrociocchi Americo, Alatri (Frosinone) – Latium
Sol di Bronzo - Pruneti, San Polo in Chianti (Florence) - Tuscany

Organic olive oil category:

Sol d’Oro – Azienda Agricola Tommaso Masciantonio, Casoli (Chieti) - Abruzzo
Sol d’Argento – Azienda Agricola Quattrociocchi Americo, Alatri (Frosinone) – Latium
Sol di Bronzo - Frantoio Franci Snc, Montenero (Grosseto) - Tuscany

Single variety category:

Sol d’Oro - Leone Sabino, Canosa di Puglia (Barletta-Andria-Trani) - Apulia
Sol d’Argento – Azienda Agricola Quattrociocchi, Alatri (Frosinone) - Latium
Sol di Bronzo - Aceites San Antonio, Jaen - Spain

The President of Veronafiere, Maurizio Danese, officially opened work sessions on first day of EVOO Days - during which the International Sol d'Oro Northern Hemisphere Competition 2017 came to an end with the announcement of the winners - and pointed out that:

"The recent conversion of Veronafiere into a joint-stock equity company was accompanied by a business plan involving 94 million euros of investments by 2020, a significant part of which will support the development of events, including those in the agro-food sector. The EVOO Days dedicated to training and networking in the olive oil sector, move precisely in this direction since they interpret the new style we are keen to achieve for "Made in Veronafiere" exhibitions. Patronage for this initiative by the Georgofili Academy and the Olive and Olive Oil Academy ensures great prestige and support for us in pursuing the aim of expanding the professional skills of sector operators and improve company business. The EVOO Days are especially part of the event development strategy for Sol&Agrifood promoted by this new two-day initiative. The show held alongside Vinitaly dedicated to quality agro-foods is enjoying continual growth: in 2016, it attracted more than 56,000 professional visitors (more than 14,000 international from 82 countries). Now, thanks to the synergy between Sol&Agrifood, the Sol d'Oro Northern and Southern Hemisphere Competitions and EVOO Days, companies will have access to technical and economic information as well as marketing strategies to make the best use of all the business opportunities offered by the 'exhibition' tool."