Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil: An Expert Interview

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Our conversation with Marco Antonucci: Italian extra virgin olive oil teacher, sensory analysis expert, and tasting-panel leader.

Olive oil has been used for over 6,000 years! In the Copper Age, communities along the eastern Mediterranean coast were already extracting oil from olives: a greasy, dense liquid that tasted pretty good and could fuel a lamp.

From the Ancient Greeks and Romans to modern-day olive tree cultivation, oil production and consumption have spread throughout the Mediterranean basin and around the world. Today, you can see olive groves in South Africa, China, Australia, and North and South America.

We spoke with Marco Antonucci – an Italian extra virgin olive oil teacher and lecturer, sensory analysis trainer, and tasting panel leader – and asked him the most commonly asked questions about extra virgin olive oil.

Understanding Olive Oil Quality and Labels

What are the differences between extra virgin olive oil and other types of olive oil?

There are several kinds of oils you can obtain from olives:

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO, or EVO in Italian): A natural juice obtained from healthy, fresh olives at the right stage of ripeness, with no sensory defects. EU labeling rules describe it as “superior category olive oil obtained directly from olives and solely by mechanical means.” This definition must appear on the label. It must also have detectable fruitiness and free acidity no higher than 0.8%, alongside other chemical requirements.

Virgin olive oil is a natural juice of olives made solely by mechanical means, but it may have slight organoleptic flaws or chemical characteristics that are less favorable than EVO. Its free acidity must not exceed 2%, and the tasting panel’s median defect score must not exceed 3.5. EU labeling rules describe it as “olive oil obtained directly from olives and solely by mechanical means.” This definition must appear on the label.

Lampante: An oil that is not fit for consumption without refining; you will not find it sold as edible virgin oil in shops. Olive oil is olive juice, and over time it becomes rancid; it can’t stay fresh forever.

Olive oil: A blend of olive oils that have undergone an industrial refining process and edible virgin olive oils. It is sold as olive oil made from refined and virgin olive oils. Be careful because “refined,” in this case, doesn’t mean elegant — it means the oil has undergone refining.

Olive-pomace oil: Some oil remains in the pomace—the pulp, skins, and stones left after extraction. This oil may be recovered using solvents, then refined and mixed with edible virgin oil to be marketed as olive-pomace oil.

What is “first cold pressing,” and is it better?

EU rules say that, in order to write “first cold pressing” on the label, the oil must be obtained below 27°C (80.6°F) from the first mechanical pressing of the olive paste using traditional hydraulic presses. Oil obtained below the same temperature by centrifugation or percolation may instead be labeled “cold extraction.”

If you take poor olives to the mill, you can still get oil by “cold pressing,” but it will be poor quality. It may not qualify as extra virgin at all.

Is the best oil extraction system one with stone mills?

The most widespread system is the “continuous cycle”, consisting of a crusher that chops the olives, a tank called a kneader, or malaxer, in which the pulp is stirred, and a decanter separating the oil from the water and the pomace: mechanical processing, at a controlled temperature, with limited contact with the air.

The traditional, or “discontinuous cycle,” still used today to represent the romantic image of olive pressing, uses granite wheels to crush the olives and their stones. The paste is then placed on nylon disks and pressed. This process leaves the olive paste more exposed to air, so careful cleaning is especially important.

Olives, Harvesting and Flavor

Black olives or green olives: which are best?

Green and black olives are not necessarily different varieties; like most fruits, the olive changes color as it ripens. In autumn, the green skin usually turns darker, tending toward black, although the change varies by variety.

Does olive ripening affect oil quality?

Early-harvested olives often produce oil with green, fresh, herbaceous notes, rich in polyphenols, and intense bitterness and pungency. Later-harvested olives generally produce oil with less bitterness and pungency, with the smell of very ripe fruit. The best harvest time varies by olive variety, season, and the style of oil the producer wants to make.

Is it better to have a green or a yellow extra virgin olive oil?

An olive oil’s color is not a reliable indication of its flavor or quality. Extra virgin olive oil ranges from yellow to green, depending on the pigments present. Carotenoids give a yellow color, while chlorophylls provide a more greenish color. These color pigments vary depending on cultivation, ripening, processing, and preservation.

Tasting and Enjoying Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Which olive oils are better: “gentle” or “vigorous”?

For sensory descriptions, the label can include adjectives recognized by European regulations that refer to a positive attribute of olive oil—for example, “robust,” “medium,” or “delicate” fruitiness—when supported by a tasting panel’s organoleptic evaluation, or taste-and-smell test.

These terms describe the oil’s character and intensity, not its quality. A more vigorous oil is not automatically better.

Why is extra virgin olive oil good for us, although it has a high fat content?

Because it is composed mainly of monounsaturated fatty acids, with smaller amounts of polyunsaturated fats. These can help reduce LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol when they replace saturated fats in the diet. It also contains squalene, beta-sitosterol, and polyphenols, including oleocanthal.

Is extra virgin higher in calories than olive oil or seed oils, such as sunflower or peanut oil?

All oils contain about nine calories per gram, whether made from olives or seeds; no “light” oils have fewer calories. However, extra virgin olive oil is aromatic and flavorful, so a spoonful can add enough taste.

How do you taste olive oil to evaluate its quality?

To taste oil, pour a soup-spoonful into a small glass and warm the glass with your hands to release the aromas. Cover the top while warming, then uncover it and smell the oil.

Take a small sip on the tongue without swallowing immediately, then try “stripping”: inhale air through a partly closed mouth once or twice, spreading the oil around the mouth. Taste the bitterness on the tongue, then swallow a little to feel the pungency at the back of the throat — the “pinch.”

At the end of the tasting, scents that rise into the nasal cavity create the so-called retronasal sensations.

When extra virgin olive oil “pinches in the throat,” is it acid?

You don’t perceive the oil’s free acidity in the mouth; you can determine it only through chemical analysis. The “tickle” felt in the throat is often mistaken for acidity; it’s actually the oil’s “pungency,” a positive characteristic that recalls chili and is associated with naturally occurring phenolic compounds.

My oil smells of grass. Why?

In the oil, volatile substances evaporate at low temperatures, giving up aromas of artichoke, apple, thyme, almond, etc. An oil smells of grass not because the olives are grown in a field, but because molecules that cause the scent of grass are naturally present in some oils.

Storing and Serving Olive Oil

How long does olive oil last?

Freshly pressed oil has several polyphenols that slowly decrease over time because they help slow fat oxidation. As they are “consumed,” the oil gradually loses some of its natural protection and becomes more vulnerable to rancidity.

The producer sets the best-before date based on the oil and its storage conditions. Oil with a high quantity of polyphenols or appropriate filtration can keep its characteristics longer than oil that is low in polyphenols or unfiltered.

It is good to check the best-before date, but the furthest date does not necessarily mean the freshest oil. For best quality, use the most recent harvest.

How should oil be preserved? Is glass or a can better?

Store olive oil in a cool place in clean, food-safe containers, sealed to limit oxygen exposure, and keep it out of light because light causes photo-oxidation. Food-grade metal and dark glass both work well.

Are oil cruets prohibited in restaurants?

In Italian cafes, bars, and restaurants, virgin olive oils presented to customers must be in properly labeled containers, provided with a suitable closure that shows evidence of tampering and does not allow the container to be refilled once the original contents are emptied. The rule does not apply to oils used in kitchen preparation. If an oil cruet or bottle without an anti-refill cap is on the table or counter, ask for a replacement with a suitable bottle.

Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oils Worth Exploring

A shorter selection from the original article. The regional and production notes below are editorial additions, not a new comparative tasting.

• EVO Berardenga by Fèlsina — Tuscany; a blend of Pendolino, Moraiolo, Raggiolo, and Leccino.
• EVO Casaliva by Comincioli — Lake Garda; a single-variety oil made from pitted Casaliva olives.
• EVO Colleruita by Viola — Umbria; Moraiolo, Frantoio, and Leccino, with the Umbria DOP-Colli Assisi-Spoleto designation.
• EVO Eximius by Traldi — Lazio; a Caninese oil from Vetralla, in Tuscia.