Chapman River takes WA Best of Show

Best of Show winner Russell Lewis celebrated the win with his helpers, grandchildren Cameron and Jennifer. Chapman River Olives also took home the Best WA Oil of Show trophy, two Golds and a Silver medal.

Geraldton producer Chapman River Olives took out two of the four major awards in this year’s West Australian Olive Awards, named Best Oil of Show and Best WA Oil of Show for its Chapman River Olives Queen of Spain-Frantoio blend.

In a tough year across the board, the EVOO gained the competition’s top score of 91 points and a Premium Gold medal, and was described by the judges as: “Vibrant, fresh green tropical aromas. Flavour transfers to palate with unfolding tropical flavours which persist with a very late hint of spice. A beautiful complex oil.”

Chapman River Olives also took Gold for its Queen of SpainCoratina blend, and Silver for its Frantoio-Kalamata blend.

Jarrahdale producer Tarralea Grove won Premium Gold and the Trophy for Best Boutique Oil of Show with its Barouni varietal, earning a judges score of 90 points and the descriptors: “Fresh intense fruit aromas of green melon, green banana and fresh cut grass. Aroma transfers to palate with hint of sweetness, combined with a firm bitterness and pungency. A delicious, lively complex oil.”

Tarralea Grove also won Premium Gold for its Tarralea Grove Blend (Mission, Kalamata, Manzanilla, Frantoio), and Gold for its Hojiblanca varietal.

Gingin’s Guinea Grove took out the Best Flavoured Oil of Show award with its Guinea Grove Garlic Crush, awarded 87 points and Gold, and described as: “Good garlic aroma. Light garlic builds and persists on palate. Very pleasant garlic oil on good base oil. Subtle garlic flavoured oil with evidence of olive oil characteristics.”

Guinea Grove also received Silver medals for its Frantoio varietal and Frantoio-Pendolino blend, along with Bronze medals for its Orange Crush flavoured oil and Pendolino varietal EVOO.

Other high achievers were Cobram Estate (Boort, Vic) - three Gold, one Silver and a Bronze across varietal and blended EVOOs; Paringa Ridge (Mornington, Vic) – two Golds for EVOO varietals; Long Gully Grove (Nannup, WA) – one Gold and three Silver for EVOO blends; and Fedra Olive Grove (Collector, NSW) – six Silver, across both EVOO and flavoured oil classes.

The stats

Chief Steward Ellen described 2020 as “a tumultuous year for many”, which saw a significant drop in entry numbers due to alternate year fruiting, climate, birds and the catastrophic fires in eastern states.

Nevertheless, there were 60 entries received from 30 entrants across the five classes and 51 received a medal: 14 Gold (23%), 30 Silver (33%) and seven Bronze (11%). Only one oil was disqualified, due to raised FFA% levels.

Tarralea Grove’s Anne and Barry Sanders took out the Best Boutique Oil of Show award for their Barouni varietal, topping off a haul of three Gold medals for their 2020 EVOOs.

2020 WA Olive Awards major winners Best Oil of Show: Chapman River Olives Queen of SpainFrantoio Best Boutique of Show: Tarralea Grove Barouni Best Flavoured Oil of Show: Guinea Grove Garlic Crush Best WA Oil of Show: Chapman River Olives Queen of Spain-Frantoio

Guinea Grove owners Angus Cowling and Rae Jefferies with the trophy for Best Flavoured Oil of Show, awarded for their Guinea Grove Garlic Crushed. Their award cache also included a Gold, two Silver and two Bronze medals.

Chief Judge Isabelle Okis applauded all producers for persevering to complete their harvests and was thrilled that, despite the very difficult conditions, three of the 13 Gold medals were in the premium class, achieving judges’ scores of 90 and over.

She noted also that there were more delicate and medium oils this year, with the average polyphenol count 290ppm and a median FFA of 0.2%.

For more detail and the full results, download the 2020 results booklet from the Olives WA website: www.oliveswa.com.au.

The Board and Staff of the AUSTRALIAN OLIVE ASSOCIATION would like to thank all our members for their ongoing support. We wish you all a SAFE & MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR

2020

Please note the AOA office will be closed from Monday, 14 December 2020 through to Tuesday, 26 January 2021. Emails will be checked periodically throughout this time.