Dax Villanueva: Flos Olei 2016 – A Guide to the World of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Flos Olei 2016

The Flos Olei guide is widely recognised as the only international and multi-lingual guide to olive oil. Published in English and Italian, this guide to the world of extra virgin olive oil offers a broad view of olive growing across the world. Now in its seventh edition, Flos Olei recognises and publishes the top olive oils from around the world.

South African olive oils are highly regarded by many commentators and so it is no surprise to find some local labels represented in the guide, these being:

• Olyfberg extra virgin olive oil
• Gabrielskloof extra virgin olive oil
• Morgenster Don Carlo extra virgin olive oil
• Rio Largo Premium Blend extra virgin olive oil
• The Greenleaf Olive Company Saint Sebastian Bay extra virgin olive oil
• Andante Intenso extra virgin olive oil
• Willow Creek Director’s Reserve extra virgin olive oil

Produced by Marco Oreggia and Laura Marinelli, the guide is jam packed with current information about olive oil around the world. A substantial portion of it is dedicated to providing useful information about how olive oil is produced, how it is tasted and what the trends are in the industry. In addition, each oil is accompanied by a detailed description of the producer and each country has an extensive summary of its olive oil industry. Anyone interested in the world of olive oil would find the guide both informative and educational.

What is interesting is that the imported olive oils we have on our supermarket shelves in South Africa are not found in the guide as they are not of a good enough quality. The oils in the guide command high prices due to their quality and limited quantity. South African olive oils are still offering incredible value for money when compared to olive oils of similar quality around the world.

Some of the information in the guide is available at www.marco-oreggia.com and you can order the book there too. However the guide is available in the Apple App Store, which is probably an easier and cheaper way to access it.

Congratulations to the South African producers represented in the guide. We hope to see the number growing each year, as word spreads of our high-quality extra virgin olive oil.

Dax Villanueva is founder of lifestyle blog Relax with Dax and is also involved in Olive Central, a promotional initiative for the SA olive and olive oil industry.