Istrian olive oil
For the eighth year running, Istria has clinched the title of the best olive oil region globally, according to the prestigious Flos Olei guide. This guide is like the ultimate handbook for top-notch extra virgin olive oils. In its latest edition, Istria has once again taken the crown, boasting the highest number of featured olive oil producers. Known for its fantastic olive oils, Istria has a whopping 69 entries out of the total 71 oils from Croatia, which is 13 more than last time. And get this, the guide covers oils from all over the world! Istria is second only to Puglia, Italy, with 55 oils, and Tuscany comes in third with 51 oils.
The folks behind Istria's olive groves are among the top 500 globally, making up an impressive 13% of the lot. What's cool is that many of them have outdone themselves compared to last year, showing how much they're improving quality and keeping up with the latest olive-growing tech.
Flos Olei is put together by Marco Oreggia, a big-name journalist and food critic, and Laura Marinelli, who's all about food and drink writing. This guide is a big deal internationally and comes in three versions: English-Italian, Chinese-Italian, and Spanish-Italian.
Hall of Fame: Shining Stars of Croatia's olive oil
Flos Olei has two main sections. The Hall of Fame is for companies that are so amazing they get a special shoutout for their career achievements, with a perfect score of 100/100. In 2024, nine producers got this honor, including, for the first time ever, one from Croatia: Uljara Mate Aleksandre Vekić from Savudrija!
The Best: Celebrating the Cream of the Crop
Then there's "The Best" category, which celebrates estates that stand out for their quality in different ways. They're not just looking at how good the olive oil tastes, but also at how consistent the producers have been over the years and how much they've helped out their local area. Since olive oil's flavor starts to fade after a while, the idea here is to give props to producers rather than just the oils themselves. They hand out all kinds of awards, like "Estate of the Year," "Green Company," "Organic Production," and more. In the 2024 Flos Olei guide, they gave out awards to 17 estates, and in the 2023 edition, Uljara MATE Aleksandre Vekić was named "Estate of the Year."
Istrian Olive Oil Excellence: Flos Olei 2024 Rankings
Check out these rankings for Istrian olive oil producers in the Flos Olei 2024 guide:
Mate 100
Ipša 99
Olea B. B. 98
OPG Zubin 98
OPG Chiavalon 98
Negri Olive 97
OPG Matteo Belci 97
OPG Buršić 96
OPG Oliveri 96
Cervar 96
Monte Rosso 96
Tonin 96
Uljara Vodnjan 96
OPG Damir Vanđelić 95
Primizia - San Rocco 95
Uljara Al Torcio 95
Oleum Maris 95
Grubić 94
Meneghetti 94
Zigante 94
Wine & Olive Oil Cuj 94
OPG Giuseppe Lupieri - Cadenela 94
OPG Marko Geržinić 93
Capo 92
OPG Kristjan Brajko 92
OPG Ante Babić 92
Ulja Komarija 91
Vergal 91
OPG Filip Ceko 91
OPG Rheos 90
OPG Anton Stojnić 90
OPG Vošten 90
Olea Prima 90
Zajednički obrt Vina Cattunar 89
OPG Petar Palčić 89
OPG Francesco Bellani 89
OPG Bodiš 89
Valencano 88
OPG Mario Crnobori 88
Agrolaguna 88
Stancija Collis 88
Dobravac 88
OPG Turinela 88
OPG Sergio Cergna 87
Clai 87
OPG Dean Fabijančić 87
Maslinici Mlun 87
E Pluribus Unum 87
Uljara Baioco 87
Kalčić 87
OPG Igor Kocijančić 86
OPG Nadišić - Olea Magica 86
Agroturizam Fatorić 86
Olea Kalden - OPG Katica Kaldenhoff 86
Ursaria 86
PZ Maslinari Istre 85
OPG Sakač 85
OPG Dani Lubiana 85
Grozić 84
OPG Diego Jurišević 84
OPG Car 84
Kalavojna 84
OPG Antonio Cecco 83
OPG Roberto Rota 83
Latini 83
InIstria 82
OPG Andelo Anić 82
OPG Grebac 81
Torač 81
These rankings show how Istrian olive oil producers are all about quality, innovation, and sustainability, cementing their place as global leaders in the olive oil game. Istria's liquid gold continues to make waves on the world stage of olive oil production, one drop at a time.
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