The Australian guide to extra virgin olive oil
Australian extra virgin.
Australia makes some of the freshest extra virgin olive oil in the world, held to one of the strictest standards anywhere. This is the practical reference: how to choose a good bottle, the varieties and regions behind it, how to cook with it, and what the grades actually mean.
Why this site exists
Australian olive oil has a real advantage.
Most olive oil writing online is built around Italy, Spain and Greece, where the harvest, the varieties and the rules are different. EVOO.com.au is built around Australian oil: our autumn harvest (opposite the northern hemisphere, so our oil reaches the shelf fresh), the varieties our groves are planted to, our growing regions from Boort to the Riverina to Western Australia, and the Australian standard for extra virgin, which is one of the toughest in the world. The hook is simple: a bottle of fresh, certified local oil beats an old imported one almost every time.
Explore by topic
Start with the question you have.
Choosing Good Olive Oil
How to read a label, why the harvest date matters more than the best before, what "certified extra virgin" means, and how to store a bottle so it lasts.
Australian Olive Varieties
Frantoio, Coratina, Picual, Arbequina, Barnea, Hojiblanca and the rest. What each variety tastes like, and whether to buy a single varietal or a blend.
Growing Regions
From Boort and the Riverina to the Riverland, the Adelaide Hills and Western Australia. Where Australian olive oil comes from and what each region does well.
Health & Nutrition
Polyphenols and oleocanthal, monounsaturated fat, the Mediterranean diet evidence, calories, and how extra virgin compares with other cooking oils.
Cooking with Olive Oil
The smoke point myth, whether you can fry with extra virgin, using it as a finishing oil, shelf life, and what to reach for when a recipe calls for olive oil.
Grades & Tasting
Extra virgin, virgin, refined, pomace and "light" explained, plus how to taste oil like a judge: fruity, bitter and pungent, and how to spot a rancid bottle.
The Australian Industry
How olive oil is made, the autumn harvest, the world-leading Australian standard, Cobram Estate and Boundary Bend, and local oil versus cheap imports.
Featured guides
The most useful reads to start with
How to Find the Best Olive Oil in Australia
How to find the best extra virgin olive oil in Australia: what actually signals quality, why fresh certified local oil wins, and how to judge a bottle yourself.
Can You Cook with Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
Yes, you can cook and fry with extra virgin olive oil. Here is why the smoke point worry is overblown, and how to use the right oil for the right job.
Frantoio Olive Oil
Frantoio olive oil is a green, peppery Italian style widely grown in Australia. Here is how it tastes and the best ways to cook with it.
How to Taste Olive Oil Like a Judge
The professional olive oil tasting method: warm the glass, cover and swirl, smell, slurp with air, then rate fruity, bitter and pungent and spot defects.
The Australian Olive Harvest Season
When Australian olives are picked and pressed: the autumn harvest from April to July, why the timing matters, and how it makes local oil fresher than imports.
What Is Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
Extra virgin olive oil, explained plainly: what makes it the top grade, how it differs from other olive oils, and why freshness and no heat or solvents matter.
The Australian season
When Australian olive oil is made
Autumn
April to June
Harvest. Olives are picked and pressed within hours across the southern states. This is when the new season oil is made.
Winter
June to August
New season oil settles and is bottled. Flavours are at their most peppery and green straight after pressing.
Spring
September onward
Fresh Australian oil is on shelves, carrying a harvest date from the same year. This is the freshest oil you can buy.
The catch
Northern imports
Imported oil is pressed in the northern autumn, months earlier. By the time it reaches Australia it is older than local oil.
Full guide: the Australian olive harvest season.
Buy fresh, buy local, taste the difference.
From a supermarket bottle to a tin straight from the grove, the advice here is local: Australian varieties, Australian regions, the Australian standard, and how to get the freshest, best-tasting oil for your money.
Open the choosing guide