Your kitchen, your rules : this 2025 winner beat 130 oils — will Portugal’s liquid gold change tea?

From a sun‑baked corner of southern Portugal comes a bottle stirring judges and home cooks with crisp, green, quietly addictive notes.

In 2025, a Portuguese extra virgin from the Alentejo rose above 130 rivals at the Mario Solinas awards, the annual benchmark run by the international olive council. Pressed at Lagar do Marmelo and sold under the Oliveira da Serra label, a rare numbered run has even reached supermarket shelves, bringing a competition specimen within easy reach.

Portugal’s quiet win at the world’s strictest olive oil test

The Mario Solinas awards focus on what judges call harmony, complexity and sensory identity. Oils are grouped by fruitiness and style; the Portuguese entry triumphed in the light green category, where balance and finesse matter more than brute force. Tasters look for a clean, defect‑free profile with structure, clarity and a finish that lingers rather than shouts.

Against 130 samples from Italy, Greece, Tunisia, Turkey, China and France, an Alentejo lot took the light green crown for balance and finesse.

The winning oil comes from Ferreira do Alentejo, where groves catch abundant sun and cool nights. Early picking concentrates aromatic compounds, and rapid cold extraction preserves volatile notes. That approach yields a glass that smells alive: tomato vine, green almond and olive leaf, with a measured line of bitterness and a peppery lift.

What makes the Alentejo style stand out

Alentejo orchards lean on both traditional and modern blocks. Varieties such as Galega, Cordovil and Verdeal sit alongside high‑density plots. Soils drain well, summers run hot, and breezes limit disease pressure. Those conditions favour precise picking windows and brisk milling, which help keep phenolics high and flavours crisp. Producers talk about straight, honest oils with a cool green edge rather than heavy ripeness.

Behind the winning label, agricultural arm Nutrifarms backs rigorous fruit selection, temperature control and swift processing. The result is not power for its own sake but poise: every element points the same way, from nose to palate to finish.

Tasting notes you can spot

• Green almond and fresh-cut leaf on the nose.
• Tomato stalk and a hint of unripe banana in the glass.
• Clean bitterness through the mid‑palate, never harsh.
• Short burst of pepper at the back of the throat, then a tidy fade.

How to use it without wasting a drop

Light green oils reward restraint. Think finishing rather than frying. A spoon drizzled at the end protects volatile aromas and keeps bitterness in line with food. The Portuguese profile flatters produce‑forward plates and delicate proteins.

• Warm bread, then a splash of oil and a pinch of flaky salt.
• Heirloom tomatoes, torn basil, a twist of black pepper and a thread of oil.
• Roasted courgettes or aubergines dressed on the tray as they leave the oven.
• Poached or pan‑seared white fish finished with oil and lemon zest.
• Soft cheeses like fresh goat’s curd, with oil and thyme.

For cooking over heat, use a neutral oil and save this bottle for the final touch. You preserve the bouquet and spend less per plate, because a little goes far once heat stays out of the way.

Numbered supermarket bottles shift a competition‑grade oil from tasting rooms to kitchen tables, nudging better habits at home.

Why this matters for shoppers

When an award winner lands on a regular shelf, it raises expectations for what “good” tastes like. You can calibrate your palate against a recognised standard, then judge other bottles with more confidence. It also shines a light on a region often overshadowed by Mediterranean heavyweights. For Portuguese growers, recognition helps justify careful harvest dates, cold extraction and traceability—choices that cost money but build trust.

There is another angle. Weather swings and tight harvests have squeezed supplies in recent seasons. Oils that deliver clarity without exaggerated intensity can help kitchens stretch flavour: finish lean soups, lift beans, and turn a simple salad into something you remember.

How judges score: harmony over power

Panels assess fruitiness first—ripe or green—then note bitterness and pungency. The trick lies in proportion. An oil can be aromatic yet hard to love if bitterness and burn dominate. The best entries feel composed: aromas, taste and aftertaste align, and defects are absent. Chemistry backs the tasting. Extra virgin must meet strict thresholds, such as very low free acidity and peroxide values, but numbers only get you to the starting line. Glasses win when the sensory story holds together.

A quick home tasting method

• Pour 15 ml into a small glass, cover with your palm and warm it gently with your other hand for 30 seconds.
• Uncover, smell in short sniffs, and name two notes you recognise.
• Sip a little, then draw air through your teeth to spread it and amplify aroma.
• Notice the arc: first fruitiness, then bitterness, then a peppery tickle in the throat.
• Ask if those parts feel aligned. If yes, that’s harmony.

Care, storage and shelf life

Light, heat and oxygen wear oil down. Keep the bottle in a cool cupboard, cap it tightly, and avoid leaving it near the hob. Aim to finish an opened bottle within three to six months. Dark glass slows degradation; clear glass needs extra vigilance. If you plan tastings at home, decant small amounts to limit air exposure.

Practical extras for your next shop

• Label literacy: “extra virgin” guarantees chemical and sensory standards; “first cold extraction” signals a mechanical, low‑temperature process.
• Harvest dates: fresher tends to taste greener; light green styles are often early‑picked.
• Serving trick: chill vegetables and grains before dressing, then add oil at the table to keep aromas lively.
• Budget move: use a neutral oil for frying, reserve awarded oils for finishing to lower cost per dish.

Light green Portuguese profiles pair cleanly with vegetables, pulses and seafood, bringing lift without masking the main ingredient.

If you travel across the Alentejo in late autumn, you’ll notice the hum of mills running day and night, trucks dropping fruit within hours of shaking. That speed protects freshness, which you can taste at home. Treat this bottle like a fresh ingredient, plan dishes around it, and let the oil be the last thing you add, not the first thing you heat.

For the curious, one useful exercise is to compare this light green style with a riper, golden oil on the same dish. Alternate two drizzles over grilled bread or steamed potatoes. You will feel how greenness adds snap and a peppery lift, while riper fruitiness leans into sweetness and roundness. Once you map those differences, you’ll choose with intent, and the bottle you buy next will work harder for you.