The Italian producer earned Gold Awards for Olio Reserva, Novello di Notte and Domenica Fiore Olio Novello.
Olive Oil Times |
Orvieto, Italy — Domenica Fiore has been awarded three Gold Awards at the 2026 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, led by a top recognition for Olio Reserva, alongside Gold Awards for Novello di Notte and Domenica Fiore Olio Novello.
Domenica Fiore earned Gold for Olio Reserva, a medium-intensity blend; Gold for Novello di Notte, a medium-intensity Frantoio monovarietal; and Gold for Domenica Fiore Olio Novello, a medium-intensity blend. Across the three award-winning oils, Domenica Fiore’s entries were distinguished by a profile that recalls artichoke and fresh herbs, with the producer’s focus on careful handling intended to preserve clarity and freshness from grove to bottle.
Domenica Fiore’s award-winning oils come from groves on gentle slopes overlooking Orvieto in Umbria, where the estate’s setting plays a defining role in fruit quality. In reporting from the orchards, Olive Oil Times described a landscape shaped by an ancient shoreline, with fine, sandy, well-drained soils scattered with seashell fragments and minerals that contribute to the character of the site. The property includes about 10,000 trees — including Leccino, Moraiolo, Frantoio and Canino — ranging from 25 to 70 years old, cultivated with an emphasis on organic management.
The project began around 2000, when Cesare Bianchini started managing olive trees in Orvieto and began studying how varieties, agronomy and processing decisions shape the final sensory result. Domenica Fiore officially launched in 2010 with five olive groves, growing with an approach oriented to quality over volume. Early success at the NYIOOC helped validate that direction; in 2013, Domenica Fiore achieved a Best in Class with Olio Reserva, an experience Bianchini later described as a turning point for the team’s confidence and long-term strategy.
In the years since, Domenica Fiore has built a sustained record at the competition. Domenica Fiore’s full NYIOOC history now totals 37 awards — 36 Gold and one Silver — with multiple Gold Awards in each of the last ten editions, including three Gold Awards in 2025, two Gold Awards in 2024 and three Gold Awards in 2023.
Farm practices and post-harvest protocols have been central to maintaining consistency across seasons. In a 2017 interview, Bianchini detailed how harvest timing and blending decisions are managed variety by variety, and how organic methods are supported through the reuse of pruning remains and milling byproducts to fertilize the soil. The extracted oil is stored immediately and conditioned with nitrogen, and Domenica Fiore adopted a stainless-steel bottle developed by the University of Florence in collaboration with Marco Mugelli to help avoid oxidation.
In addition to its competition performance, Domenica Fiore’s 2026 results further strengthened its standing in the Olive Oil Times World Ranking, where Domenica Fiore is ranked #1 in Italy, #5 in the Northern Hemisphere and #6 Worldwide.
Domenica Fiore describes its mission as producing organic extra virgin olive oil “without compromise,” with traceability at every step and an artisanal approach grounded in transparency, as outlined by the producer at Domenica Fiore.
The NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, widely regarded as the world’s leading olive oil quality contest, is a trusted reference for consumers and industry professionals.