“Extra virgin” is not a marketing adjective: it is a commercial category defined by European law. To use it, an oil must pass two tests — one in the laboratory and one on the nose and palate of a panel of tasters.
The categories of olive oil
The European regulation (today Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/2104) divides oils obtained solely by mechanical means into three groups:
- Extra virgin: free acidity up to 0.8%, no defects on tasting and a perceptible fruitiness.
- Virgin: acidity up to 2%, barely perceptible defects allowed.
- Lampante: cannot be sold for consumption as it is; it must be refined.
Plain “olive oil” and “olive-pomace oil” are blends with refined oils: they have a different taste and a different composition.
You can't taste acidity
Free acidity measures how much the fats in the olive have broken down, because the fruit was damaged or left too long before milling. It is not the peppery kick in your throat: that comes from polyphenols, and it is a quality. A good extra virgin is often well below 0.8%.
The panel test
A group of trained tasters assesses the oil blind. They look for three positive attributes — fruity, bitter and pungent — and for the most common defects: fusty (olives piled up and fermented), musty, winey, rancid. A single recognised defect is enough for the oil to no longer be extra virgin.
The label, in brief
On an extra virgin label the origin is mandatory, “cold extraction” means the olive paste stayed below 27 °C, and the harvest year can only be stated if all the oil comes from that harvest. What is mandatory, what is optional and what is forbidden is explained in The extra virgin olive oil label.
Storing it well
Light, heat and air are the enemies of olive oil. Keep it in the dark, away from the hob, between 14 and 18 °C, in a dark bottle or a tightly closed tin. Better a size you finish in a few weeks than a demijohn left open for months.
