Alentejo’s Monte Vale de Baio Awarded for Organic Galega

Monte Vale de Baio from Portugal has won a Silver Award for its organic delicate Galega at the 2022 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition.

Based in Notre Alentejo, the company produced 900 liters of organic extra virgin olive oil using traditional methods in the 2021/22 crop year.

"We are thrilled with this honor," co-owner Alan Andrew said. "By winning this award at the NYIOOC, we will be able to reach a wider audience and help spread the news of regenerative organic agriculture."

Andrew said part of the secret to Monte Vale de Baio's success is an early harvest, which proved quite difficult this year due to late rainfall.

"This year, we had a late rainfall that pushed all the harvests back," he said. "Grapes are harvested first and due to the rain had to be picked later, which pushed our production back a bit."

"We want to harvest early to get our high-quality green olive oil and that means an early harvest," Andrew added. "All in all, it was a good year for olive oil producers in Portugal."

The NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, held each spring in New York, is the world's largest and 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 on the Official Guide to the World's Best Olive Oils.