Telegraph Hill Wins Gold at 2021 NZ Olives Awards

Telegraph Hill's Premium Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil has been recognised as one of the country's best at this year's Olives New Zealand Awards.

Telegraph Hill Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Medium Intensity; 2021

This extra virgin olive oil has the aroma and flavour of freshly picked olives, fresh green tomato leaf and savoury herb.  On the palate it has floral notes over black pepper and green grass.  It has sweetness with well-balanced fruit, bitterness and pungency and a long and flavourful finish. 

It has a polyphenol count of 278 – polyphenols are the good guys in Extra Virgin Olive Oil and  translate into health benefits.  A count over 250 allows an Extra Virgin Olive Oil to comply with the EU Health claim “The consumption of Olive Oil Polyphenols contributes to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress.”

Telegraph Hill Extra Virgin Olive Oil will enrich and enhance any dish.  It is especially good drizzled on steamed broccoli. An easy way to get the health benefits every day!

Telegraph Hill has been producing Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Table Olives in Hawke’s Bay for 20 years.  Their first medal was a bronze in 2001.  Geoff Crawford has been an owner for 18 years, over this time he has received over 80 Gold, Silver and Bronze awards for both table olives and extra virgin olive oil.  Every year he uses the 1,000 daffodils growing in the grove to raise funds for the Cancer Society through daffodil day.

About the 2021 Olives New Zealand awards

The judges were extremely impressed with the quality of the 2021 EVOO entries. This is reflected in almost 50% of the entries being awarded Gold.
There were 81 Gold Medals, 72 Silver Medals and 9 Bronze Medals awarded.

Because of COVID, judging happened under alert levels 4 and 3 for Auckland and level 2 elsewhere in New Zealand. This meant remote judging would be undertaken in 2021.   Remote judging involved decanting entries into 1,026 bottles and packed into a flight boxes for judging – some 234 flight boxes were produced, labelled and packed into six cartons for each judge. Added to the cartons were tasting cups, lids, etc. for the judges and then off with the couriers.

The judges were then able to work independently through the entries. From their perspective the process was excellent, particularly as they could work at their own pace. Typically this was 20 samples per day rather than the 50-60 they are pushed through with centralised judging. The judges said they were able to do more justice to the entries given, taking more time without risk of palate fatigue and this was reflected in the final medal score. The judges had 10 days to work through the full judging programme and once they had completed each set of the judging they submitted their results.

Pick up a bottle of Telepgraph Hill's Premium Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil online now at telegraphhill.co.nz or at your local supermarket.

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