STA, 28 February 2021 - Slovenian olive oil Vanja produced by Koper-based olive grower Vanja Dujc has won the prestigious Olio Nuovo award for the best olive oil in the northern hemisphere in 2021, the contest's organisers announced.
The award was presented on Thursday. The accolade is the recognition of quality and brand, said the organisers, who lauded Dujc's oil as "wonderful, complex oil, balanced and with a fiery kick at the end".
The jury, comprised of olive oil experts and top chefs, is chaired by Michelin-starred chef Eric Briffard, the head of the Paris Le Cordon Bleu institute.
The contest is held twice a year - in February the best oil in the northern hemisphere is picked and in August the winner of the southern hemisphere is selected.
Dujc has been producing olive oil since 1984 in village Malija in the coastal Izola municipality. His orchard boasts some 1,200 trees and produces 3,300 litres per year, according to the organisers.
Having won a number of international awards for his oil, Dujc has been dubbed "olive oil guru" or "olive oil whisperer". The first time he became an olive oil world champion was at the first olive oil world championship organised as part of the Expo 2010 in Shanghai, newspaper Delo reported.
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