Gold medals have been awarded at the 2010 Royal Queensland Food & Wine Show's Olive Oil Competition, held from 12-13 July at the RNA Showgrounds. Table olives were in competition for the first time, and alongside one of the leading figures in the Australian olive industry, Mrs Margi Kirkby, as chief judge - Nino Zoccali, one of Australia's foremost experts in all things olive, starred as guest judge and the inaugural Show Ambassador.

Judged along Australian Olive Association competition guidelines, entries came from everywhere in Australia except the N.T, for product classes including single estate grown extra virgin olive oils, separated by production volume, with new classes for flavoured/infused oil; and green, black and spiced/flavoured table olives.

Olive Oil classes received 46 entries with 2 Gold, 2 Silver and 14 Bronze medals awarded, while Table Olive classes received 25 entries with 1 Gold, 5 Silver and 9 Bronze medals awarded.

Winner of the Best Olive Oil of Show was Aminya Olive Oil made from Correggiolo olives from Jingera NSW, exhibited by Tri Start Trading from Eastwood, Sydney.

The second Gold Medal winner was from Cobram Estate in VIC with a Hojiblanca-variety oil.

Winner of the Best Table Olive of Show - and the only Gold medal winner - was a Greek style green Sevilano olive from Eagle Vale Olives, in Geraldton, WA.

The judges rated essential characteristics like bitterness, pungency and fruit flavours, that reflect the oil's quality, the variety, its growing climate, and most importantly the production process that made it. All entries have been produced from Australian olives harvested this year, which has been declared a good one by the judges, and better then 2009.

With many popular olive oils from Europe sold with the aid of agricultural subsidies, the judges said that local oils are much better value. Chief judge Margi Kirkby felt that "the majority of Australian extra virgin olive oil is of a high quality compared to the rest of the world...about 95% of our production is extra virgin olive oil." Nino feels that the gently extracted, first run extra virgin oil is the best because, "...any processing kills character...you need those anti-oxidants to give the oil shelf life..."

The judges talk about the creation of the Australia olive industry over the last ten years or so, how exciting it is that everyone is experimenting with varieties, getting used to their regions and the latest production technology, such as specialised centrifuges, that have driven a better quality oil. Nino says that, "we're all still learning...olive judging is getting better in Australia...we're different to Europe because of local conditions...the premium Italian industry is a boutique cottage industry while we tend to be larger."

Olive Oil Show Ambassador Nino Zoccali has been a member of the Australian Olive Association's National Olive Oil Show Judging Panel for five years from 2004 to 2009 and has spent time at the prestigious Mastri Oleari (Olive Oil Masters Guild) in Milan. With over 20 years experience as a chef/restaurateur, Nino is now proprietor of Sydney restaurant Pendolino, which in an Australian first features an ‘Olioteca' store to offer a range of only the best quality Australian olive oils.

Based in Moree, northern NSW, Margi Kirkby is one of Australia's most experienced olive oil tasters and judges, specialising in blending, marketing and educating about olive oil for the industry in general, while managing her own brand Gwydir Grove.