These are the 10 best extra virgin olive oils from Catalonia in 2025

Les Borges BlanquesIf you're looking to give extra virgin olive oil as a Christmas gift, starting today you can choose from the ten best in Catalonia for 2025. The five winning oils from large producers are Elixir Despiñolada Bio (Cuadrado Valley), Janiroc Koroneiki (Pons Tradición), Janiroc Lecciana Tradición, and Elixir Bio (Cuadrado Valley). The award-winning extra virgin olive oils from small producers are Salar de Arbúcies (Molino Salar de Arbúcies), Cuello del Alba Morruda (Xavier Guilera Ximenis), Arbor Sacris (Miliunverd), and Aceite de Márgenes de Can Calopa (L'Oliv Oil).

The award was announced last night at a gala held in the olive oil pavilion of Les Borges Blanques (Garrigues) during the second edition of the National Awards for the Best Extra Virgin Olive Oils of Catalonia, which has become popularly known as the Oscars of olive oil. The initiative comes from the Catalan Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, which awarded a total of seventy-two extra virgin olive oils across different categories. A total of 186 oils were submitted to the competition, 53 more than last year.

The winner of the Elixir Despiñolada Bio olive oil, in the large producer category, expressed his gratitude for the award, stating that "olive oil is part of the landscape," and emphasized the method used in its production, which involves using pitted olives. Meanwhile, the producer of Salar de Arbúcies olive oil from the Molino Salar de Arbúcies mill, winner in the small producer category, highlighted the effort to recover his variety, called salt flatIn a pavilion overflowing with producers and political authorities, there was olive oil and peace. It was a joyous evening, with producers parading across a stage where presenters Abraham Orriols and Claudia Raymat were waiting. Every table was laden with bottles of olive oil, bread, and Arbequina olives, as well as dishes cooked with olive oil by chef Joel Castanyé of La Boscana restaurant, which recently earned its second Michelin star. "I always give gifts to friends because I think it's an added value, and because it also makes friends think of me when they use it," said the chef of La Boscana. The dessert for the awards dinner was prepared by chef Xavier Benet of Les Borges Blanques, who remarked that everything is much more difficult for restaurants in the Lleida region: "We have to work incredibly hard to achieve the same results as restaurants in other areas," he asserted.

Catalonia, the olive oil capital

At the second edition of the competition, the Minister of Agriculture, Òscar Ordeig, stated that "we need a turning point in how we promote ourselves, because we're not currently able to capitalize on it." He added that "we must join forces, which build a nation, build a brand," and thanked the Tasting Panel Director, Xavier Vicens, and all the producers for their commitment. "Last year I pledged to hold a major olive oil market in Barcelona, and this year we've done so in Plaça Catalunya. And I want to tell you that we're about to pass the food law, which will stipulate that 50% of institutional purchases must be locally sourced," the Minister affirmed, urging producers to promote their own products. "I ask that by 2026 Catalonia aspire to be the world capital of extra virgin olive oil," he said, adding that he wants "a country where the best products are made."

Finally, the gala also paid tribute to Xavier Vicens, director of theOfficial Tasting Panel of Virgin Olive Oils of Cataloniawho is retiring this year, gave a brief but heartfelt speech thanking everyone for his thirty-six years of service, eleven of them as Panel Director. Finally, the presenters concluded by announcing that next year's competition will take place in Reus.