Good info here! The date is very helpful as a means of minimising the risk of buying stale oil.
FYI I found some info on
olive oil in Spain here and a recent listing of
good and bad oils tested this year in Australia (greek low-cost oil a surpise winner) -
note the last line about production date!
Little-known Greek olive oil brand PNOE has topped a CHOICE taste test of 28 supermarket extra-virgin olive oils.
CHOICE judges liked PNOE’s ‘fresh grassy and fruity aroma’ giving it 15.5 points out of 20.
PNOE Breath of Life Classic (500ml) retails for $8.99.
Our experts tasted the oils without knowing the brands and agreed on a score following the Australian Olive Oil Association’s 20-point system.
A score of 17 would put an oil in the ‘gold medal’ class.
Four of the top six olive oils were Australian brands –
Pnoe Breath of Life Classic 15.5/20 (fresh grassy aroma)
Woolworths Select Australian 14.5/20 (good flavour)
Dandaragan Select Fruity 14/20 (everyday all round oil)
Dick Smith’s 14/20 (firm pungency)
Jingilli Devine 14/20 (a robust oil)
Always Fresh Spanish 13.5/20 (good intense flavours)
Four olive oils failed to impress our expert panel of six judges.
They were –
25. Lupi 9.5/20 (tired and rancid)
26. Padthaway Estate 9.5/20 (slightly muddy)
27. Borges Organic Farming 9/20 (very bitter, metallic)
28. Colavita 9/20 (some bitterness)
Later, chemical tests showed that three of the bottom four oils were stale.
Current labelling requirements don’t help consumers chose the freshest oils.
CHOICE wants all bottles of extra-virgin olive oil to have the date of production stamped on the label – then you’d know which ones were really fresh.