Each year, following the SA Olive Awards, the top-scoring gold winners participate in an additional round of blind tastings. From this process, the 10 highest-ranking extra virgin olive oils are selected for the prestigious Absa Top 10 Olive Oil Awards. Below are this year’s best South African olive oils.
Winners of the 2024 Absa Top 10 Olive Oil Awards
The 2024 Absa Top 10 Olive Oil Awards ceremony took place at the Grande Roche estate in Paarl. This year’s winners are as follows:
- Mardouw Investments Za (Pty) Ltd: Mardouw Xxv Medium
- De Rustica Estate: Estate Range Intense
- Oudewerfskloof Olive Farm: Coratina Medium
- Kleinbergskloof: Kleinbergskloof Family Reserve Medium
- Rio Largo Olive Estate: Rio Largo Premium (White Label) Medium
- Morgenster Estate: Morgenster Don Carlo Medium
- ‘Ouma Se Huis’ Boutique Olive Estate: Charisma 2 Delicate
- Lapithos Olive Growers: Lapithos Estate Mission Medium
- Tokara: Tokara Mission Delicate
- Terre Paisible (Pty) Ltd: Terre Paisible Extra Virgin Olive Oil Delicate
Wendy Petersen, CEO of SA Olive, said: ‘The Absa Top 10 Olive Awards is the pinnacle of award platforms in South Africa to showcase the excellence of the South African olive industry and to celebrate the winning fusion of product, people and skills underpinned by quality.’
Extra virgin olive oil is the highest grade of olive oil, derived only by cold mechanical extraction, without the use of solvents or refining methods.
The SA Olive Association stipulates the following requirements for an olive oil to be graded as extra virgin olive oil:
- The oil must be completely natural and unadulterated, with no additives, preservatives, colouring, or flavouring added.
- It must be free of any defects (i.e. not rancid, winey, musty, fusty, etc.) and have a measure of fruitiness.
- The oil must have gone through a chemical analysis.
Petersen stated that consumers should look for a green seal labelled ‘SA Olive’ on the bottle that indicates that the product is 100% extra virgin olive oil.
If the association has approved an olive oil as extra virgin, it has undergone rigorous evaluation measures including technical testing and analysis.
What oil do you use for cooking?
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