Hard Work, Late Nights Earn Centonze 5th NYIOOC Triumph

Sicilian producer Azienda Agricola Centonze Antonino has won a Gold Award at the 2021 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the world's most prestigious olive oil quality contest.

This award is very good news, especially after the incredibly hard time we all are having due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nino Centonze, owner

The company produced 200,000 liters of extra virgin olive oil in the 2020/21 crop year from Nocellara del Belice olives using traditional methods.

"This award is very good news, especially after the incredibly hard time we all are having due to the Covid-19 pandemic," owner Nino Centoze said.

Centonze earned his fourth ever Gold Award with his Case di Latomie PDO Valle del Belice, a medium Nocellara del Belice. Previously, he had won three Gold and one Silver Award with Case di Latomie PGI Sicily in four of the past five years.

Centonze said the company had a bountiful harvest in 2020 but had to work hard to get all the olives pressed immediately.

"We had an excellent harvest, with plenty of healthy olives," he said. "The challenge was to press the entire volume quickly, but we managed to do so, frequently working through the night."

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 Index of the World's Best Olive Oils.