The Umbrian producer’s medium-intensity extra virgin olive oil earned its ninth Gold award in the world’s leading olive oil quality contest.
Olive Oil Times |
Paciano, Italy — Fontanaro Estate has been awarded a Gold at the 2026 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition for the Olio Fonte della Pace brand.
Olio Fonte della Pace is an extra virgin olive oil of medium intensity. Crafted as an organic blend of Leccino, Frantoio, Dolce Agogia, Moraiolo and Pendolino, Olio Fonte della Pace is distinguished by fresh arugula and artichoke notes, layered with green almond and a lift of eucalyptus. Fontanaro Estate oversees the full production cycle, from manual harvesting rooted in long-standing local tradition to milling on the farm, where the fruit is pressed within six hours to preserve aromatic clarity and overall integrity.
Set in the hills around the village of Paciano in Umbria’s province of Perugia, Fontanaro Estate has developed around a family connection to olive growing that stretches back generations. The estate name and its flagship label draw inspiration from the area’s ancient past: Fonte della Pace translates as “Source of Peace,” a reference connected to the Latin “Pax Jani,” associated with Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and doorways, and the remains of a nearby Roman temple.
Fontanaro Estate traces its modern origin to 1972, when Lucia Verdacchi gave her husband, Sandro, a plot of land with 100 olive trees as a wedding present — a grove that remains part of the property. Verdacchi later returned to the land after working in communications, drawn back by family memories and the pull of cultivating olive trees she inherited from her grandfather’s example. Over time, the family renovated an old farmhouse and established milling facilities designed to blend into the surrounding landscape.
Today, Verdacchi and her children, Giovanni and Alina Pinelli, maintain nearly 4,000 organically grown trees on gentle slopes overlooking Lake Trasimeno. In addition to producing extra virgin olive oil, Fontanaro Estate welcomes visitors at agritourism properties on the estate and uses tastings as an opportunity to explain how high-quality extra virgin olive oil differs from lower-quality alternatives, reinforcing the farm’s emphasis on education alongside production.
Investments in the mill have remained central to that approach. Fontanaro Estate operates a modern, continually updated facility dedicated exclusively to its own fruit, supporting tight control over processing decisions. After extraction, the oil is filtered and stored under nitrogen in a temperature-controlled room, steps intended to protect freshness and extend stability from harvest to bottle.
Beyond quality goals in the mill and grove, Fontanaro Estate has pursued an environmental strategy shaped by self-sufficiency and circular-economy principles. Verdacchi has described a system that recycles resources ranging from rainwater to milling residues returned to the earth, and she has also discussed a longer-term objective of developing a cooperative with other local olive mills to produce energy.
The 2026 Gold continues Fontanaro Estate’s established record at the NYIOOC, bringing the producer’s overall results to nine Gold and three Silver awards. In the Olive Oil Times World Ranking, Fontanaro Estate is ranked #16 in Italy, #49 in the Northern Hemisphere and #51 Worldwide.
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.