The best Extra Virgin Olive Oils of Sicily in the Slow Food Guide 2024

Sicilian extra virgin olive oil is synonymous with excellence, quality and tradition. The new edition of the Extra Virgin Guide 2024 written by Slow Food confirmed the prestigious position of Sicilian oils at national and international level. The guide, now in its 24th edition, awarded 184 prizes, reviewing over 1071 oils from 680 mills, farms and oil mills throughout Italy. Of these, 207 were recognised as Slow Food Presidia.

Slow Food Extravergini Sicilia: Great Oils

The 'Great Oil' award is one of the most coveted awards conferred by Slow Food. This title is reserved for olive oils that stand out not only for their excellent organoleptic characteristics, but also for their close link with their territory of origin. Sicily, with its rich olive-growing tradition and the diversity of its indigenous cultivars, has obtained no less than 9 awards in the Great Oil category:

• Tondo Oil di Claudia Ferlito – Buccheri
• Igp Sicilia di Terre in Fiore – Castelvetrano
• Polifemo Dop Monti Iblei di Viragì – Chiaramonte Gulfi
• Frantoio Galioto – Moresca e Frantoio Galioto Dop Monti iblei di Sebastiana Fisicaro – Ferla
• Delicato di Oleificio Sant’Anna – Marsala
• Sciabacco di Francesca Tumino – Mazzarrone
• I Muri Igp Sicilia di Frantoi Covato – Ragusa
• Notti D’Amuri di Nettare d’Oliva – Realmonte
• Don Peppino Dop Monte Etna di Sikulus – Santa Maria di Licodia

Slow Food Extravergini Sicilia: the Chiocciola

The 'Chiocciola' symbol represents an important recognition within the Slow Food Extra Virgin Olive Oil Guide. This symbol is awarded to olive farms that fully embody the values of Slow Food, best interpreting the organoleptic, territorial and environmental qualities of their oils. In Sicily, 6 companies received this prestigious award:

• Terraliva – Buccheri
• Vernera – Buccheri
• Agrobiologica Rosso – Chiaramonte Gulfi
• Titone – Misiliscemi 
• Vincenzo Signorelli – Nicolosi
• Tenuta Cavasecca – Siracusa

Slow Food Extravergini Sicilia: Great Slow Oil

The 'Great Slow Oil' is an award reserved for oils that not only excel from an organoleptic point of view, but also manage to excite, best representing the indigenous cultivars and the territory of origin. This award is given to those oils produced with sustainable agronomic practices. In Sicily, 13 labels were awarded the title of Great Slow Oil:

• Cerasuola e Giarraffa di Carbonia – Aragona
• Nettaribleo Dop Monti Iblei di Agrestis – Buccheri
• Cherubino Igp Sicilia – Nocellara Etnea di Terraliva – Buccheri
• Bianco Lillà di Vernera – Buccheri
• Divitiae Dop Monti iblei di Mozzicato – Canicattini Bagni
• Case di Latomie Dop Valle del Belìce di Centonze – Castelvetrano
• Goccia Verde Igp Sicilia di Terre in Fiore – Castelvetrano
• Evo Rosso di Agrobiologica Rosso – Chiaramonte Gulfi
• Qulfe Dop Monti iblei di Terre sul Dirillo – Chiaramonte Gulfi
• Nocellara e Dop Valli Trapanesi di Titone – Misiliscemi
• Contrada Mancusi Igp Sicilia di Vincenzo Signorelli – Nicolosi
• Alberelli Grand Cru – Cerasuola e 6 File Grand Cru – Nocellara di Baglio Ingardia – Noto
• Giarì – Cerasuola di Xiggiari – Paceco

Slow Food Extravergini Sicilia: Secular Olives Slow Food Presidium

The Slow Food Secular Olives Presidium is an initiative that aims to enhance the environmental, landscape, health and economic heritage of ancient olive groves of indigenous cultivars. This project brings together producers who follow sustainable agricultural practices, without the use of synthetic fertilisers and chemical herbicides. In the Extra Virgin Guide 2024, 16 garrisons in Sicily have been recognised for their efforts in this category:

• Diodoros Igp Sicilia del Parco Archeologico e Paesaggistico della Valle Dei Templi – Agrigento
• Cherubino Igp Sicilia – Tonda Iblea di Terraliva – Buccheri
• Le Case di Lavinia di Vernera – Buccheri
• L’Olio della Maestra Tina di La Pira – Canicattini Bagni
• Divitiae Dop Monti iblei di Mozzicato – Canicattini Bagni
• Case di Latomie Igp Sicilia e Case di Latomie Dop Valle del Belìce di Centonze – Castelvetrano
• Verdello di Virzì – Cesarò
• Villa Zottopera e Evo Rosso di Agrobiologica Rosso – Chiaramonte Gulfi
• Zichichi di Agriturismo Don Carlo – Erice
• Contrada Mancusi Igp Sicilia di Vincenzo Signorelli – Nicolosi
• Alberelli Grand Cru – Cerasuola e 6 File Grand Cru – Nocellara di Baglio Ingardia – Noto
• Evo Maira di Marcello Maira – San Giovanni Gemini
• Mallìa di G&G – San Mauro Castelverde
• e U Crastu di Zito – San Mauro Castelverde
• Siracusana – Zaituna di Tenuta Cavasecca – Siracusa
• Nettaribleo Dop Monti Iblei e Igp Sicilia di Agrestis – Buccheri

Sicily, with its rich tradition and the quality of its production, confirms itself as an excellence in the Italian olive oil scene. From the Grande Olio awards to the Chiocciola recognitions, passing through the Grande Olio Slow titles and the Presidi degli Olivi Secolari, Sicilian oils continue to distinguish themselves for their quality, connection to the territory and attention to sustainability.