2006 Results - Royal National Capital Agricultural Society

2006 Royal Canberra Extra Virgin Olive Oil Show 

Royal National Capital Agricultural Society 

ROYAL CANBERRA EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL COMMITTEE 

Chief Steward: 

Mrs Suzanne Coulton 

ROYAL CANBERRA EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL JUDGES 

Chairman of Judges: 

Mr Richard Gawel 

Head Judge: 

Mr Robert Armstrong 

Head Judge: 

Ms Jayne Bentivoglio 

Head Judge 

Mr Sharn Hunkin 

Judge: 

Ms Annette Quinn 

Judge: 

Mr Nelson Quinn 

Judge: 

Ms Helen Taylor 

Judge: 

Mr Lyndon Taylor 

Judge: 

Mr Michael Thomsett 

Judge: 

Mr Nino Zoccali 

Associate Judge: 

Mr Tom Lawlor 


Ms Hilda Lawlor 


Mr Sam Paton 

CORRESPONDENCE TO: 

CEO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) 

RNCAS PO Box 124 MITCHELL ACT 2911 

Enquires: (02) 6241 2478 

Email: admin@rncas.org.au www.rncas.org.au 

Page 1


Comments from the Chairman of Judges 

The overall standard of olive oils submitted to this show continues to improve. The 2006 entries were of 

a very good to excellent standard, and were an improvement on the oils produced from the difficult 

2005 season. In particular the small volume classes were very strong as is evidenced by the very 

strong showing of medals awarded in this class. 

Probably the most important trend is the move away from a dominance of robust oils based on Italian 

varieties towards a greater diversity in terms of variety and style. For the first time, oils displaying 

characters other than a dominant herbaceousness were in the majority, as were the medium to mild 

styles. Given the popularity of milder and riper oils in the marketplace, this trend is very welcomed. 

Indeed one might argue that their rise to greater prominence is overdue. Crafting these styles does 

present new challenges. Making oils from ripe olives that do not display fermentation characters, or 

making mild oils that are vibrant and fresh is a difficult skill to master. I’m pleased to say that many of 

the milder and riper styles of exhibits showed the necessary hallmarks of freshness and vitality. Their 

growers and millers should be congratulated. 

The larger volume multiple estate class was consistent. While there were few standouts, the fact that 

they were fresh, very serviceable and of a good quality is encouraging. Many of these oils will find their 

way onto supermarket shelves and therefore will be the flag-bearers of our industry. While some small 

producers may not concern themselves too greatly with the machinations of the ‘big end of town’ it is 

worth noting that consumer opinion of Australian olive oil in general, is most strongly formed on the 

strength of the widely available Australian supermarket oils. So in reality their standard affects us all. 

This show is unique in that it is the only capital city show which has a class dedicated to local 

producers. While this may be seen as some as being parochial, the reality is that the class is judged 

using the same standards as any other class in the show. However, there is a distinct advantage of 

having a dedicated class to local producers. It allows opinions to be formed as to the quality and 

direction of the locally produced product. After reviewing my previous reports it is clear that over the 

years there has been a distinct separation of oils both in terms of style and overall quality. This year, as 

in the past four, some of the best (or the best) oil has been locally produced. Unfortunately the local 

class has always had a representation of overly bitter metallic oils which were short on fruit and 

sometimes freshness. I’m not in a position to speculate why this is the case. However, I did note that 

the average polyphenol level in this class was over 350 parts per million (ppm) which is far higher than 

the typical show average of 250 ppm, and (I estimate) a commercial average of under 200 ppm. As a 

general rule, when oils exceed a polyphenol level of 350 ppm it is likely that they will display excessive 

bitterness and metallic characters, and at 500 ppm it is almost a certainty. While robust oils will always 

have a legitimate and important place in the olive oil world, the usability and culinary versatility of 

excessively bitter oils is questionable. 

Finally I’d like to thank all the judges and the stewards for their efforts. In particular, the efforts of the 

chief steward Suzanne Coulton need to be recognised. Her work once again ensured a smooth and fair 

conduct of this excellent show. 

Richard Gawel 

CHAIRPERSON 

Page 2


Judging Criteria 

All entries were received by the Chief Steward, who was the only person to know the identity of each oil 

until the results were published. The Chief Steward allocated each exhibit an ID for testing and tasting 

and this was the only identification used on bottles. 

There were three steps in the judging process. 

1. A sample of each entry was sent to the NSW Department of Primary Industries, Wagga Wagga 

for analysis of its Free Fatty Acid (expressed as % of oleic acid), which was not to exceed 0.8%. 

2. Before judging, each entry was decanted into identical bottles marked only with the exhibit ID 

known only by the Chief Steward. This step was taken to ensure the judges had no idea as to 

the identity of the oils. 

Assessment of each oil meeting the FFA standard against the Australian Olive Association’s 

(AOA) 20 point scoring system, awarding gold medals to those oils that scored 17.0 or higher, 

silver medals to those scoring 15.0 to 16.5 and bronze medals to those scoring 13.0 to 14.5. 

Judges awarded points on the basis of lack of defects, aroma and flavour, freshness, balance 

and complexity. 

The judges individually scored each oil in the Class(es) assigned to them. The members of each 

panel discussed the individual scores and reached a consensus score and award (if applicable) 

for each oil. 

Each panel presented their recommendations to the Chairman of Judges who then compared the 

results from the other panels to ensure consistency across classes. 

3. Another tasting of all gold medal oils was conducted to determine the Best Oil of the Show. 

All gold medal oils were eligible for the award of Best Oil of Show. All the judges (excluding the 

Chairman and associate judges) were presented with the candidate oils which were 

anonymously relabelled A. B. C. etc. The judges independently ranked the oils in order of quality 

(a rank of 1 for their best oil, 2 for 2nd best etc). The Chief Steward then totalled the ranks. The 

oil with the lowest sum is awarded the Best Oil of Show. As two of the judges had oils in this 

stage, their rankings were anonymously precluded from the total. The other judges were not 

made aware of this so as to not bias their opinion of any of the candidate oils. 

Page 3


Trophies 

Champion Oil of Show 

Trophy & Sash Presented by Southern Olive Growers’ Association 

Won By: 

Long Paddock Olive Rustlers 

Ted’s South One 

WAGGA WAGGA NSW 

Best Oil in Class 9 - Local Exhibitor 

Trophy & Sash Presented by Canberra Rural Stock Feed - Hall 

Won By: 

Olevano Olives 

PEELWOOD NSW 

Best Flavoured Oil 

Trophy & Sash Presented by JB Macmahon 

Won By: 

Kailis Organic Olive Groves Ltd 

Sublime 

MT HAWTHORN WA 

Class 1 Small Volume Bottled 

Top Score Ribbon 




Gold Medal 





The Rock 



Spanish Queen 2 


Silver Medal 


Verdale 



Olio Olivio Inferno Al Dente 


Homeleigh Grove 

HALL NSW 


Isobella 


Bronze Medal 


Bomen A 





Oakfield Estate 

Late Harvest Corregiolo 

MUDGEE NSW 

Page 4



Continued 

Skilly Creek Olive Oil 

UNLEY PARK SA 


One Tree 



At Coolamon Olives 


Currawong Olive Grove 

Currawong Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

BOWRAL NSW 


Bomen B 


Class 2 Commercial Small 

Volume Bottled 



Early Harvest Corregiolo 

MUDGEE NSW 

Silver Medal 



MUDGEE NSW 

Dash Olives Australia 

Dash Moonish 

DUNCRAIG WA 


Dash WA Organic 

DUNCRAIG WA 

Mardie’s Australian Olive Products 

GRENFELL NSW 

Class 3 Commercial Large 

Volume Bottled 



Chef’s Blend 


Silver Medal 




Bronze Medal 

La Barre Olives Pty Ltd 

La Barre 

YASS NSW 


Premium Blend 


Cobram Estate 

Murray Valley 

CLAYTON NORTH VIC 

Class 4 Single Estate Grown 

Oil 


Wooloomooloo 

Wooloomooloo Picual 

GULGONG NSW 

Gold Medal 

Wooloomooloo 

Wooloomooloo Picual 

GULGONG NSW 

Bronze Medal 


GRENFELL NSW 

Bentivoglio – Rylstone Australian 

Rylstone Australian Organic 

RHYLSTONE NSW 

Page 5

Class 4 Single Estate Grown 

Oil Continued 

Wooloomooloo 

Wooloomooloo Koroneiki B 

GULGONG NSW 2852 

Abilene Grove 

BORENORE NSW 


MUDGEE NSW 


Bronze Medal 

Cobram Estate 

Corregiola 


Bentivoglio – Rylstone Australian 


RHYLSTONE NSW 

Cobram Estate 

Frantoio 


Wooloomooloo 

Wooloomooloo Mission 


Wooloomooloo 

Wooloomooloo Koroneiki A 


Class 5 Single Estate Oil 

Large Volume Bottled 



YASS 2582 

Silver Medal 


YASS 2582 

Cobram Estate 

Premiere 


Class 6 Bulk Oil 


Cobram Estate 

Chorus 


Silver Medal 

Cobram Estate 

Chorus 


Class 7 New Exhibitors 


Rosto Extra Oomph Australian 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

WOOLLAHRA NSW 

Silver Medal 



WOOLLAHRA NSW 

Class 8 Flavoured Oil 



Sublime 


Silver Medal 


Sublime 


Bronze Medal 


GRENFELL NSW 

Cobram Estate 

Citron 



Dolce 


Page 6


Continued 


Lemon Myrtle 

HALL NSW 


Class 9 Local Exhibitor 



PEELWOOD NSW 

Gold Medal 


PEELWOOD NSW 

Bronze Medal 


PEELWOOD NSW 

Page 7



EXHIBITOR MEDAL SCORE FFA% VARIETY 


Bomen A 


JUDGES COMMENTS 





Bronze 14 0.10 Mixed 

Clean grassy herbaceous nose with tropical undertone matched by 

balanced pungency and bitterness 

Bronze 14.5 0.09 Sevillano 

Very ripe butterscotch tropical nose. The palate has less 

pronounced fruit. Subtle bitterness and pungency 

HP2 10 0.24 Blend Frantoio Leccino 

JUDGES COMMENTS Lacking freshness throughout with nutty aroma and particularly 

flavour. 


Verdale 




The Rock 




Late Harvest Corregiolo 

MUDGEE NSW 



Olio Olivio Inferno Al Dente 



Skilly Creek Olive Oil 

UNLEY PARK SA 


Silver 16.0 0.10 Verdale 

Very ripe tropical confectionary nose with lighter fruit levels on the 

palate. Balanced bitterness and pungency. 

Gold 17.5 0.17 Kalamata 

Green herbaceous aroma. Palate displayed complex fragrant fruit 

which was very persistent. Great balance of fruit and bitterness. 

Stylish. 

Bronze 14.0 0.12 Corregiola 

Green herbaceous grassy fruit. A late and persistent pungency 

was evident. 

Silver 15.5 0.18 Sicilian Queen Spanish 

Verdale 

Very interesting banana character. Intense fruit which comes 

through on the palate pronounced pungency 

Bronze 13.5 0.15 Frantoio Pendolino 

Clean single dimensional herbaceous nose. Medium fruit which 

comes through on the palate together with pronounced pungency 

Page 8



One Tree 




HALL NSW 



At Coolamon Olives 



Currawong Olive Grove 

Currawong Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

BOWRAL NSW 



Bomen B 



Bronze 14.0 0.14 Gesthamanee Origin 

Green grass on nose. Medium fruit more pronounced on palate 

with firm pungency. 

Silver 15.0 0.24 Blend Corregiola Frantoio 

Pronounced grassy nose. Clean flavours which follow through onto 

the palate. A firm pungency which lasts and matched the fruit. 

Bronze 14 0.22 Koreneiki Corregiola 

Mild medium sweet herbaceous nose. More intense fruit on palate. 

Balanced pungency. 

Bronze 14.5 0.10 Frantoio 

Attractive complex nose with good fruit which carries through on 

the palate. Firm pungency which lasts. 

Bronze 14.5 0.16 Mixed 

Ripe fruit characters on the nose. Lower fruit on palate with early 

rush of pepper and a lasting bitterness 

STB 12.0 0.14 Paragon Blend Corregiola 

Kalamata 

JUDGES COMMENTS Very delicate but herbaceous nose. Oily mouthful on palate with 

light fruit and an early and intense pungency. 









Gold 17.0 0.12 Sevillano 

Lovely green banana guava fruit on nose slight initial bitterness on 

palate, finally balanced by late rising pungency that matched the 

intense fruit. 

Gold 18.5 0.14 Kalamata 

Intense ripe tropical fruits on nose with hints of fresh mint. Palate 

showed an intense green tomato and tropical flavours. The finish 

showed pronounced bitterness and pungency which was in 

keeping with the level of fruit. An intense and interesting olive oil. 

Page 9


Isobella 




Silver 16.0 0.14 Early Pick Spanish Queen 

Sevillano 

Intense tropical fruits on nose which carries in to the palate. Strong 

bitterness was somewhat dominant, but the ripe fruit carried this 

oil. 

OVERALL CLASS COMMENT 

A balanced raft of oils with generally good fruit level. The usually 

dominant green grassy Tuscan styles were this year well matched 

by a good showing of riper, tropical fruity styles which in some 

cases had lovely confectionary undertones. 

Class 2 Commercial Small Volume Bottled 


ABC 12.5 0.12 Corregiola Frantoio Hardy’s 

Mammoth 

JUDGES COMMENTS Clean nose showing light fruit. The palate displayed buttery 

characters and a low to moderate bitterness and pungency. 

QRS 12.5 0.12 Corregiola 

JUDGES COMMENTS Clean fresh appley aromas on nose and palate, but lacked fruit 

complexity. 

Mardie’s Australian Olive 

Products 

GRENFELL NSW 



Dash WA Organic 

DUNCRAIG WA 



Dash Moonish 

DUNCRAIG WA 




MUDGEE NSW 


Silver 15.0 0.11 Nevadillo Blanco 

Formic character on aroma with a more pronounced tropical like 

flavours. Moderate levels of bitterness and pungency. Good 

persistent fruit finish. 

Silver 15.0 0.21 WA Mission Corregiola 

Paragon 

Good clean fresh oil. Apple like flavours with sweet fruit finish. 

Medium bitterness & pungency but good balance. 

Silver 16.0 0.26 Frantoio Coratina Picual 

Clean fresh oil with good depth of flavour. Soft initial bitterness but 

built. Good fruit finish. 

Silver 16.5 0.14 Corregiola 

Clean fresh herbal aromas. The oil had a complex mossy like 

flavours of excellent depth. Pleasant levels of bitterness and 

pungency. 

Page 10


DG06 12.5 0.21 Corregiola Nevadillo Blanco 

JUDGES COMMENTS Herbaceous characters on nose. Rather flat fruit on the palate that 

was swamped by an excessive metallic like bitterness. 


An interesting and diverse class of oils. The better examples 

showed good fruit depth and interesting aromas and flavours. 

Class 3 Commercial Large Volume Bottled 



La Barre 

YASS NSW 


Bronze 14.5 0.22 Frantoio Leccino Hardy’s 

Mammoth 

Good banana like aroma with delicate bitterness and pungency 

and a sweet nut meal like flavour on the finish. A good mild oil 

MEL 11.0 0.15 

JUDGES COMMENTS Ripe banana fruit with a perfumed flavour. However the oil showed 

an oily finish suggesting a degree of tiredness. 

COGW 12.0 0.22 Frantoio Leccino Corregiola 

JUDGES COMMENTS Light aroma of ripe apples. Very mild flavours to the point of 

lacking olive definition. 

Kailis Organic Olive Groves 

Ltd 




Cobram Estate 

Murray Valley 




Ltd 

Premium Blend 



Silver 16.0 0.16 Frantoio Leccino Coratina 

Ripe melon aroma with ripe banana flavours, medium bitterness 

and greater pungency 

Bronze 13.5 0.17 

Ripe banana fruit aroma with banana and almond like flavours and 

a moderate pungency. 

Bronze 14.5 0.18 Frantoio Leccino Coratina 

Corregiola 

Herbaceous sweet oil with ripe apple and sweet nut flavours.The 

palate finished with moderate pungency that built. 

Page 11


DEB06 12.5 0.18 Barnea Picual Leccino 

Frantoio Nevadillo Blanco 

JUDGES COMMENTS Dried hay like nose with a touch of tomato character. Some 

banana like flavours but overall the oil lacked fruit definition. Firm 

pungent finish matched with a hay like flavour. 


The class comprised primarily of very serviceable and commercial 

style oils with low to moderate levels of bitterness and pungency. 

While sound, none of the oils showed great complexity which 

reflects in the lack of gold medals awarded. 

Class 4 Single Estate Grown Oil 

EXHIBITOR MEDAL SCORE FFA% VARIETY & GROVE 

LOCATION 

LES 12.0 0.08 Leccino 

JUDGES COMMENTS Low malt like fruit on both nose and palate. Low bitterness and 

pungency. 

Abilene Grove 

BORENORE NSW 


Wooloomooloo 

GULGONG NSW 



MUDGEE NSW 


Bronze 13.0 0.11 Verdale Volos Hardy’s 

Mammoth 

Good fruit on the nose. Fresh clean olive fruit on palate with a soft 

bitterness and pungency. 

Gold 17.0 0.07 Picual 

Good distinct olive fruit on the nose. Clean fresh green apple and 

tomato like fruit with medium bitterness and pungency which 

persists. Interesting flavours and a long finish were a feature of this 

oil. 

Bronze 13.0 0.12 Manzanillo 

Good green banana olive fruit on the nose with an unusual hint of 

pungency. Intense fruit flavours on the palate with a balanced level 

of bitterness and pungency. 

COS 12.5 0.18 Corregiola 

JUDGES COMMENTS Green apple fruit on the nose. Clean but light fruity palate with a 

buttery finish. 

Wooloomooloo 

Mission 

GULGONG NSW 


Bronze 13.0 0.13 Mission 

Good fruit on the nose fresh and clean sweet on the palate low 

bitterness & pungency with a varietal character delicate mild oil 

Page 12



Products 

GRENFELL NSW 


Bronze 14.0 0.17 Hardy’s Mammoth 

Good fruit intensity all round. Long flavoursome finish with a firm 

level of bitterness and pungency. 

F4S 12.0 0.23 Frantoio 

JUDGES COMMENTS Low nose, clean grassy, soft buttery palate, low in bitterness & 

pungency, 

PYG 12.0 0.13 Frantoio 

JUDGES COMMENTS Lacking fruit intensity on nose and palate. Grassy aromas and a 

sweeter palate. Pungency was pronounced. 

EVO xxxx xxxxx 


Bentivoglio – Rylstone 

Australian 


RHYLSTONE NSW 


Wooloomooloo 

Koroneiki B 



Wooloomooloo 

Koroneiki A 




Bronze 14.0 0.11 Manzanillo Picual 

Good grassy nose. Weaker fruit on palate with a pronounced 

pungency. 

Bronze 14.0 0.64 Koroneiki 

Soft light olive nose with a sweet green banana like fruit palate. 

Bronze 13.0 0.56 Koroneiki 

Light banana and grassy fruit on the nose. Moderate banana like 

fruit throughout. 

A consistent class. The standout oil was complex and had the fruit 

and balance to be a very versatile oil. Many oils in the class had 

lifted aromas but the intensity did not carry through onto the palate. 

Page 13


Class 5 Single Estate Oil Large Volume Bottled 

EXHIBITOR MEDAL SCORE FFA% VARIETY & GROVE 

LOCATION 


YASS 2582 


Cobram Estate 

Premiere 



Silver 15.5 0.20 Frantoio Leccino Picholine 

Coratina 

Intense ripe fruit aroma with delicate bitterness & pungency. 

Silver 15.0 0.28 Premiere 

Ripe apple fruit aroma with good flavour and a medium level of 

bitterness & pungency. 

Class 6 Bulk Oil 


Cobram Estate 

Corregiola 



Bentivoglio – Rylstone 

Australian 


RHYLSTONE NSW 



Clean apple nose. Fresh grassy flavours with a late pungency. 


Dried tea and guava like nose. Medium fruit intensity with a 

balanced level of bitterness and pungency. 

Cobram Estate 

Frantoio 



Cobram Estate 

Chorus 




Bronze 14.0 0.17 Frantoio 

Clean green apple and herbaceous characters on nose. More 

intense fruit on the palate with firm pungency & bitterness. 

Silver 15.0 0.30 

Clean herbaceous nose. More intense fruit on palate with late 

pepper like pungency. Slight oil mouth feel, pungency. 

A group of solid oils which while lacking in complexity made up for 

in good fruit intensity. 

Page 14


Class 7 New Exhibitors 


DWH 11.0 0.08 Paragon Corregiola 

JUDGES COMMENTS Ripe banana aroma with mild bitterness and a warm peppery 

finish. The palate had a buttery finish suggesting a lack of vitality. 

Rosto Pty Ltd 



WOOLLAHRA NSW 


Silver 15.0 0.14 

Very ripe aromas of ripe banana and guava. Palate showed sweet 

strawberry flavours aroma with soft bitterness and pungency. A 

good riper style of oil. 




Lemon Myrtle 

HALL NSW 



Products 

GRENFELL NSW 



Ltd 

Sublime 



Cobram Estate 

Citron 




Ltd 

Dolce 




Bronze 14.5 0.30 Infused Lemon Myrtle 

Classic lemon myrtle good oil well balanced 

Bronze 13.5 0.22 Infused Lemon Myrtle 

Mild lemon myrtle aromas and flavours into a very light olive 

flavoured base. 

Silver 15.5 0.19 Frantoio Leccino organic 

lime infused 

Fresh Citrus nose fresh lovely oil palate 

Bronze 14.0 0.31 Lemon 

Lovely citrus nose, fresh mild bitter end 

Bronze 14.0 0.27 Frantoio Leccino organic 

blood orange infused 

Lovely mandarine/orange flavours good quality oil 

All high quality oils, taking citrus flavoured olive oil to the next level. 

Page 15


Class 9 Local Exhibitor 


AND 12.0 0.09 

JUDGES COMMENTS Interesting lemon sherbet character on nose. Palate showed very 

ripe fruit characters but the palate lacked vitality and finished flat. 


PEELWOOD NSW 



PEELWOOD NSW 


Bronze 13.5 0.11 Volos 

Green banana aromas. Sweeter stewed apple flavours with 

moderate pungency on finish. 

Gold 18.0 0.14 Blend 

Great intensity of tropical fruit on nose. Very complex flavours on 

palate being more grassy and formic in character. Moderate 

bitterness and pungency complimented the fruit on this oil. Despite 

its obvious ripeness the oil showed pristine freshness. A credit to 

its producer. 

STA 11.5 0.18 Nevadillo Blanco 

JUDGES COMMENTS Ripe banana aroma with intense overpowering bitterness and 

pungency on the palate. Insufficient fruit in support. 

YMJ 12.0 0.11 Corregiola Frantoio 

JUDGES COMMENTS Very subdued banana aroma but some dried grass like aromas. 

Lacking fresh olive lift. Palate was very bitter and lacked olive fruit 

definition. 

V01 12.5 0.17 Corregiola Frantoio 

JUDGES COMMENTS Herbaceous fruit aroma with strong bitterness and pungency. 

Lacking fruit in support of the bitterness. 

HP1 12.0 0.21 Frantoio Corregiola 


Citrus peel aroma but the palate was dominated by a metallic 

bitterness that was very persistent and became astringent at the 

end. 


An inconsistent class. The best oil showed the importance of fresh 

olive fruit character and having adequate but not excessive levels 

of bitterness. Too many oils were excessively bitter and were flat 

with respect to fruit on the palate. 

Page 16

2006 Results - Royal National Capital Agricultural Society

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