Ten superior South African extra virgin olive oils have been selected as finalists for the 2015 Absa Top 5.
The contenders in alphabetical order are: Andante EVOO (Medium), Andante Intense EVOO, De Boerin EVOO (Medium), De Rustica Mountain Press EVOO (Medium), Kransfontein Coratina Olive Oil (Intense), Mont Rouge EVOO (Medium), Mulderbosch EVOO (Intense), Rio Largo Delicate EVOO, Tokara Mission Delicate EVOO and Tokara Premium EVOO (Intense).
Absa and SA Olive introduced the Top 5 in 2013 as an addition to the annual SA Olive Awards. The qualifiers for the Absa Top 5 are selected from the ranks of the highest-scoring SA Olive Awards achievers by a team of revered tasters.
Judging panel:
The esteemed judge’s panel comprised: international olive oil expert Mauro Amelio from the National Association for Olive Oil Tasters (ONAOO) in Italy plus local olive oil experts Gerrie Duvenage, Kelly White, Leonard Arangies, Louise Rabie, Reni Hildenbrand, Robert Claasens and Benedetta Lami.
An International Olive Oil Council (IOC) accredited panel leader, Amelio has run a number of panel and threshold courses around the world and is affiliated with ONAOO as a tutor, taster and scientific advisor. The local judges have all completed an official judging course and passed the international threshold test.
The Absa Top 5 olive oils will be revealed at Café Bon Bon in Franschhoek on 14 October.
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