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The winners of Il Magnifico 2018 award will soon be revealed: on March 15th the “Magnifici Assaggiatori” olive oil tasters of the Consorzio Chianti Classico DOP and ANAPOO (National Association of Professional Olive Oil Tasters) will decide which is the best European extra virgin olive oil of 2018.

The panel of expert tasters will select the best olive oil on the European market for quality, excellence and commercial potential, with absolute impartiality and transparency.

Franco Pasquini, president of ANAPOO, will naturally be among the judges of the competition. Since the first edition of Il Magnifico, he has been carefully following all the selection phases of the best olive oil.

“The contest – Pasquini explains – is an excellent opportunity to taste not only Italian oils, but also oils from other European countries, such as Spain, France and Portugal. This gives you the chance to grow professionally”.

There are more than three hundred olive oils for the jury to taste, and the work is proceeding quickly as the date of the verdict draws closer.

“We are halfway through the tastings – the president continues – and for now the average quality is high. Once the twelve finalist olive oils are selected, a special jury will be called to taste them, including some international judges.”

Eight tasters are gathered in each session. They examine a maximum of ten samples at a time over an hour and a half.

Each oil is then given a descriptive reference card, that includes aromatic intensity, enjoyability and flavour complexity.

“For the moment – says Pasquini – we’ve tasted olive oils from all the Italian regions. The quality of all of them is equally high”.

“Good olive oil con be produced everywhere– he underlines – if the right procedures for olive processing is followed”.

Pasquini concludes with an appeal to the producers: “In order to obtain an excellent oil, maximum care is necessary at all stages of harvesting and processing. Above all, it’s very important to process the olives quickly”.

Cosimo Ballini

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