Aceites Penibeticos Overcome Heatwaves, Drought to Win Gold in New York

Aceites Penibeticos from Spain has won an award at the 2023 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the world's largest olive oil quality contest.

The team and I are extremely proud of this achievement. It's another step in our journey of continuous improvement, a fantastic reward for all our effort and hard work.

Nicolas Portanet, general manager

The Andalusian producer earned a Gold Award for its Acero brand, a medium-intensity Picual.

"The team and I are extremely proud of this achievement," general manager Nicolas Portanet said. "It's another step in our journey of continuous improvement, a fantastic reward for all our effort and hard work."

"We are extremely confident that more awards will come in the future, and we will strive toward obtaining one of the best extra virgin olive oils in the world," he added.

Like many of his compatriots, Portanet said high temperatures and drought significantly impacted his harvest.

"With the formation of the flower, we suffered a heatwave that wiped out 80 percent of our production," he said. "With that, and the low precipitation, we knew our olive trees were at their production limits for Acero."

"The surprise came as we started the harvest and milling process; we encountered a superb quality since day one," Portanet added.

The NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition held each spring in New York, is the world's most prestigious olive oil contest. Its annual listing of award winners is considered the authoritative guide to the year’s best extra virgin olive oils.

The complete list of winners can be viewed in the Official Guide to the World's Best Olive Oils.