Lombardy’s Roveglio Wins Gold at World Competition

Roveglio from Italy has an award at the 2023 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the world's largest olive oil quality contest.

The Lombardian producer earned a Gold Award for its medium-intensity blend of Frantoio and Pendolino olives. The brand earned Gold Awards in 2018 and 2022 and a Best in Class Award in 2019.

Owner Paolo Nazzari di Calabiana Willan hoped the award would help the company find a distributor to "establish our brand as a reliable niche quality product."

In the 2022/23 crop year, the company produced 520 liters of extra virgin olive oil using traditional methods.

Nazzari said erratic weather served as the company's most significant challenge, with four months of drought causing concern in the winter of 2021/22 followed by hail in June and more drought during the summer. "The trees were highly stressed," he said.

Held each spring in New York, the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition 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.