The Best Time of Year to Buy Fresh Extra Virgin Olive Oil

When is the best time of year to buy fresh extra virgin olive oil?

The answer is not as simple as choosing one month.

It depends on where the olives were grown.

Olive trees are harvested once a year in each region, but because olive-growing countries are spread across both hemispheres, fresh olive oil is produced at different times throughout the calendar.

Understanding those harvest seasons is one of the easiest ways to become a smarter olive oil buyer.

Olive Oil Has a Season

Supermarkets can make olive oil seem like a product that appears continuously throughout the year.

But every bottle begins with a crop.

Olives grow, ripen and are harvested during a defined season.

Once the olives are picked, they are transported to the mill and processed into oil.

That means the freshest olive oil will usually be found closer to the relevant harvest period.

The key is knowing when that harvest occurs.

The Southern Hemisphere Harvest

In Australia, olive harvesting generally takes place through autumn and winter, depending on the region, climate and variety.

This is when new-season Australian extra virgin olive oil begins to appear.

Freshly produced oil can offer bold green aromas, bitterness and pepperiness that may become softer over time.

For Australian olive oil lovers, this is the first major fresh harvest opportunity of the year.

The Northern Hemisphere Harvest

Italy, Spain, Greece and other Mediterranean producers harvest later in the calendar year because their seasons are opposite to Australia's.

Their harvest generally takes place during European autumn.

This means Northern Hemisphere harvest olive oil can become available towards the end of the Australian year.

That creates an important advantage.

By the time European olive oil is freshly produced, Australia's own new-season oil is already several months older.

Following both seasons can therefore provide access to fresher oil at more than one point during the year.

Why Olio Nuovo Follows Two Harvests

Olio Nuovo is built around the idea that olive oil should be enjoyed close to harvest.

Rather than treating one annual crop as enough for the entire year, we follow olive production across both hemispheres.

The Southern Hemisphere season gives us fresh Australian olive oil.

The Northern Hemisphere harvest olive oil season gives us access to another fresh crop later in the year.

This creates a natural rhythm.

One harvest follows another.

And customers can experience fresher olive oil across more of the calendar.

Is Freshest Always Best?

Freshness matters, but it is not the only factor that determines quality.

A poor-quality freshly made oil will not automatically be better than a carefully produced oil that is several months old.

You should still consider:

• olive quality

• milling practices

• storage

• origin

• producer

• variety

• sensory quality

Freshness should be seen as part of the bigger quality picture.

But when comparing two well-made oils, the more recent harvest will often offer brighter and more vivid characteristics.

Why the Harvest Date Matters More Than the Best-Before Date

Many shoppers automatically check the best-before date.

That is useful, but it is not the same as checking the harvest.

The best-before date can be based on bottling and recommended shelf life.

The harvest date tells you when the olives were actually picked.

That is the information that helps you understand the age of the oil.

If you are buying premium extra virgin olive oil, look for the harvest year whenever possible.

Seasonal Olive Oil Is More Interesting

Thinking seasonally also changes the way you appreciate olive oil.

Instead of buying the same style of oil all year, you can notice how each harvest differs.

One year may be greener and more intense.

Another may be softer or fruitier.

Different regions and varieties also bring their own characteristics.

In this sense, olive oil begins to feel more like wine, coffee or other agricultural products with provenance and seasonal variation.

When Should You Stock Up?

The best time to buy is usually soon after the new harvest becomes available.

However, there is no benefit in buying so much that the oil sits unused for a long period.

A better approach is to purchase an amount your household can realistically use while it remains fresh.

If you use olive oil every day, a larger format may make sense.

If you use it occasionally, a smaller bottle may help preserve freshness.

The goal is not simply to buy fresh oil.

It is to actually use it while it is fresh.

Make Freshness Part of How You Shop

The next time you buy extra virgin olive oil, check more than the price and label.

Ask:

When was it harvested?

Where were the olives grown?

Who produced the oil?

How has it been stored?

Is this a recent crop?

These questions make it easier to choose olive oil with confidence.

There is no single best month to buy fresh extra virgin olive oil.

There are instead multiple harvest opportunities.

For Olio Nuovo, following Australian production and Northern Hemisphere harvest olive oil means following the seasons themselves.

And when the harvest changes, so does the opportunity to taste olive oil at its freshest.