Flos Olei 2017

Istria the best in the world for the second time

Flos Olei, the bilingual Italian-English guide to the excellent world of extra virgin olive oils, highly appreciated in the gastronomy sector, was published for the eighth time in 2017. And for the second time in a row, Istria is ranked at the very top of the world list with its olive oils.

Both a gastronomic and a tourist guide, Flos Olei in 2017 presents 50 countries from 5 continents, whilst the introductory text presents a general overview of the history, culture and production of each country. Producers and their finest oils, amongst which we can find 60 Istrian producers, are presented over the 864 pages of the guide, which highlights their particularities.

The excellent results show that extra virgin olive oil, along with another gastronomic delicacy, the truffle, is one of the most competitive products of Istria. When comparing the chronological rankings, it is evident that quality significantly rose in the extra class as well as in the high-class of extra virgin olive oil. The culture of olive growing in Istria is continuously improving, especially in the restaurant industry, where the finest restaurants have already adopted the standard to serve their specialities with at least one small bottle of extra virgin olive oil.

The large number of Istrian oils in this guide is testimony that Istria is a special area with a bond of extraordinary olive oil and excellent gastronomy.

In the first ten years, until 2009, the olive guide was published under the name L'Extravergine, and since 2010, when it was published under the name Flos Olei, until 2015, Istria was ranked second with regard to the quality and number of producers of extra virgin olive oil, just behind the Tuscany!

The publishers and editors are agronomist, Marco Oreggia, gastro journalist and expert taster of olive oils and one of the most influential opinion leaders when it comes to extra virgin olive oils, together with Laura Marinelli, journalist and olive oil taster.

When realising the guide, for which samples are gathered for the coming edition at the beginning of each year, both Italian and international tasters together with other olive oil experts take part.

For both experts and consumers Flos Olei represents a manual and a guide showing olive growing from a number of different aspects. As pointed out by the publishers, it is dedicated to fine dining and drinking enthusiasts as well as to experts from the field of olive growing: agronomists, olive growers, technicians, and restaurant owners.