A ‘buttery’ mouthfeel or ‘meadow grass’ notes? How Australian olive oils rank against other supermarket options

The good oil … Of the 13 varieties that Choice scored 76% and above, seven came from Australia, three from Italy, and three from Spain. Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins/The Guardian View image in fullscreen The good oil … Of the 13 varieties that Choice scored 76% and above, seven came from Australia, three from Italy, and three from Spain. Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins/The Guardian A ‘buttery’ mouthfeel or ‘meadow grass’ notes? How Australian olive oils rank against other supermarket options Consumer advocacy group Choice blind tested 30 olive oils – and found many of the highest ranked came from Australia Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Consumer advocacy group Choice has taste tested 30 supermarket extra-virgin olive oils, and found some Australian-made oils rank higher than those imported from Italy and Spain. “A lot of Australians are after local products, and there are a lot of Australian olive oil makers that have built quite a good reputation,” Pru Engel, Choice audience and engagement editor, said. Australian label Cobram Extra Virgin Classic – one of the more expensive products on the list at $25 – landed third place with a score of 80, and was described as having “fruity herbaceous aromas” with a “buttery” mouthfeel by testers. The top spot went to Italian brand Monini Classico extra virgin olive oil with a score of 88%. Costing $2.93 per 100mL and $22 for a 750mL bottle, testers described it as an “elegant and abundant oil”. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email The second-best went to another Italian brand, Villa Rossi Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Testers noted it has a “good length of persistence with balanced bitterness and pungency”, though the product was the most expensive oil in the lineup with a price tag of $35 for a one-litre bottle, or $3.50 per 100mL. The average price of recommended oils sits at roughly $22 rank. Woolworths Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil was named Choice’s best value pick, with a score of 78, and priced at $9 per 500mL bottle, or $1.80 per 100mL. Testers described its “native mint and some meadow grass” notes and “nice balanced bitterness and pungency.” Australian olive oil taste test: $7 supermarket bottle is the best-value drop Read more The olive oils were blind tested at NSW Department of Primary Industries laboratories in Wagga Wagga. Engel said the judging panel was specifically looking for “purity and freshness”, as well as fruitiness and pungency. One of the cheapest oils was also the worst, according to Choice. Aldi Oh So Natural Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, priced at $8.99 per 500ml bottle or $1.80 per 100mL, received the bottom score of 60%, with testers describing the product as having a “low intensity of flavour”. The second- and third-worst oils were the Monini Organic Premium Selection Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Coles Australian Extra Virgin Oil respectively, with scores of 65% and 66%. Speaking generally, Choice’s product review manager, Chris Barnes, sai