Rastrello Takes Home Gold at 2020 NYIOOC

The producers behind Rastrello have won a Gold Award for their medium blend at the 2020 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition.

We are very honored and happy to have received Gold. This is a reflection of our team's hard work and dedication throughout the year and harvest. We are proud to represent high-quality Umbrian olive oil and hope to put Panicale on the map of leading artisanal olive oils.

Christiane Wassmann, co-owner

Christiane Wassmann, co-owner of Rastrello, said that she was honored to receive the award, which did not come easy after a hot and dry start to the season.

"We are very honored and happy to have received Gold," Wassmann said. "This is a reflection of our team's hard work and dedication throughout the year and harvest. We are proud to represent high-quality Umbrian olive oil and hope to put Panicale on the map of leading artisanal olive oils."

Rastrello produced 510 liters of extra virgin olive oil from their groves in Umbria, Italy, using traditional methods. In the process, Wassmann and her team had to overcome several challenges.

"Almost half of our buds fell, due to the early heat," she said. "Since we are completely dependent on rain, which there was little of this year, we had to replant 40 dead younger trees."

"We had a slight problem with fly too, but harvesting early helped to not affect our extra virgin olive oil," she added.

The NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, held each spring in New York, is the world's largest and most prestigious olive oil contest and its annual listing of award winners is considered the authoritative guide to the year’s best extra virgin olive oils.

The complete list of winners can be viewed on the Official Index of the World's Best Olive Oils