Olive Oil Panel Scores: What Swiss Test Marks Mean
"Only virgin", 6.6 out of 10 or "insufficient": what the verdicts of the ZHAW sensory panel in Swiss olive oil tests mean, and which number is law.
Topic
Quality
New harvest olive oil: when «novello» reaches Switzerland
When the first oil of the new harvest arrives in Switzerland, how to recognise a genuine harvest date, and when the premium for «olio nuovo» is worth it.
Switzerland Market Tips Quality
Buy olive oil online in Switzerland: which shops deliver
Farmy is gone, Aldi now too: only two chains still deliver nationwide. The shops that do, their delivery fees and the customs trap.
Olive oil at Lidl: three Primadonna, one downgraded
Organic Primadonna downgraded to «vergine» by the Swiss panel, the standard bottle only «adequate» at Stiftung Warentest: three Lidl oils judged one by one.
Pairing Olive Oil with Food: Robust, Medium or Delicate
The intensity grades are defined by EU law; the pairing rules by nobody. What is standard, what is convention — and which variety delivers which profile.
Olive oil at Aldi: one bottle downgraded, one rated good
Bellasan downgraded to "vergine" in the Swiss comparison, Aldi's organic oil rated good by the Swiss panel: the Aldi range judged bottle by bottle.
Olive oil at Coop: six bottles, two Swiss test verdicts
Iliada rated «very good» by the Swiss panel, Prix Garantie downgraded to «vergine»: the Coop range sorted by litre price and judged bottle by bottle.
Best olive oil at Migros: all nine bottles checked
All nine Migros olive oils ranked by litre price: which test verdict is documented, which one is not extra virgin at all, and which bottle suits what.
The Olive Harvest: Why Timing Decides Quality
On the tree the oil is already perfect; after that it can only lose. Maturity index, harvesting methods and the hours to the mill, with the Olive Council's figures.
Olive Oil Labels: PDO, PGI, Organic and Medals
PDO means every production step in the area, PGI only one. What the organic leaf guarantees, what the Swiss Knospe demands, and why a medal is not a seal.
Cold-Pressed Olive Oil: What the Word Means
«Cold-pressed» is not the same claim as «first cold pressing»: 50 °C against 27 °C. What Swiss and EU rules allow, and what the label leaves out.
Olive Oil Acidity: What 0.8 % and 0.3 % Really Mean
Acidity is a laboratory figure, not a verdict on taste: what 0.8 % and 0.3 % mean in law, and why the number almost never appears on the label.
Olive Oil Fraud: How It Is Faked and Who Checks
Lampante oil in the blend, chlorophyll for colour, 42 tonnes seized: what investigators find, how the EU checks and what Swiss laboratories measure.
Best olive oil in Switzerland: one bottle per chain
Which olive oil to put in your basket at Migros, Coop, Aldi, Lidl, Denner and Manor – and which bottle to leave on the shelf. With litre prices.
The world's most expensive olive oils: what the price buys
EUR 190 for 75 centilitres: we checked the top prices at source, converted them into francs and separated what is quality from what is packaging.
Premium olive oil in Switzerland: what the markup buys
What Swiss delicatessen shelves actually stock, what "first cold pressing", "non filtrato" and "novello" mean in law, and whether paying more buys quality.
How to Tell If Olive Oil Is Rancid: A 2-Minute Test
Rancid, fusty or musty: the three defects that disqualify an "extra virgin" – and how to find them with your own nose in two minutes.
Olive oil past its best-before date: is it still good?
Olive oil past its best-before date: what Swiss law says, what happens inside the oil, and how to tell in two minutes whether it still is good or has to go.
Balkan Olive Oil: from Istria to Albania
Flos Olei has named Istria the world's best olive oil region for the ninth time. Varieties, figures and origins from Slovenia and Croatia to Albania.
The first oil of the season: why early-harvest, unfiltered Picual is so prized
Why early-harvest, unfiltered Picual is the most prized olive oil of the year, how long it keeps, and why "first cold pressed" is a legacy term.
Olive Oil from Switzerland: Ticino, Valais and Vaud in Review
Olive oil from Switzerland: producers in Ticino, the mills, harvests 2020 to 2025, prices per litre, labels and the new plantings in Vaud and Valais.
Pantry gold: why wealthy investors put money into olive oil brands and first-harvest oils
Olive oil as an investment: why funds and wealthy families buy brands, groves and first-harvest oils, and where the idea of pantry gold breaks down.
Cooking with Olive Oil: What the Smoke Point Really Means
Extra virgin olive oil smokes sooner than rapeseed oil – and is still the more stable choice in the pan. What the heating trials show and which temperatures matter.
Castile and León Spain Quality
Olive Oil from Castile and León: Spain's Little-Known Olive Country
7,441 hectares of olives between Gredos and the Duero: where Castile and León makes olive oil, why it harvests early and what the oils taste like.
Dark Glass or Plastic? Which Bottle Actually Protects Olive Oil
Light and heat destroy polyphenols and aroma. What the studies on glass, PET and tin show – and what to look for on the Swiss shelf.
Picual: The Olive Variety That Shapes Jaén and the World Market
About a quarter of the world's olive oil comes from one variety. A portrait of Picual: origin, chemistry, flavour, the PDOs of Jaén and buying it in Switzerland.
Olive Varieties in Europe: The Complete Guide from Picual to Koroneiki
More than a thousand olive varieties grow around the Mediterranean. A guide to the key varieties of Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, France, Croatia – and Ticino.
Eusko Label: Basque Olive Oil, Arróniz and Basque Cuisine
Eusko Label extra virgin olive oil from Rioja Alavesa: what the Basque quality label means, the Arróniz variety, brands, history and a pil-pil recipe.
Private-Label Olive Oil in Spain and France: Hacendado, Carrefour, Leclerc & Co. Tested
How good are supermarket own brands? In Spain all 23 oils passed the OCU test; in France only 5 of 20 passed at Que Choisir. The results at a glance.
Why Spanish Olive Oil Ranks Among the World's Best
Spain supplies over 65 per cent of EU production; three of the 24 bottles we track in Switzerland name it. Figures, the 2025/26 competitions and what to buy.
What Is Extra Virgin Olive Oil? The Complete Guide
Extra virgin olive oil explained simply: how it's made, quality grades, how to spot the real thing, and what to check for when buying in Switzerland.