Oro Del Desierto Organic Coupage and Oro Del Desierto Picual were recognized among the world’s best extra virgin olive oils.
Olive Oil Times |
Tabernas, Spain — Rafael Alonso Aguilera has been awarded two Gold Awards at the 2026 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition for Oro Del Desierto Organic Coupage and Oro Del Desierto Picual.
Rafael Alonso Aguilera earned the Gold for Oro Del Desierto Organic Coupage, a medium-intensity extra virgin olive oil made from a blend of cultivars, and a second Gold for Oro Del Desierto Picual, also medium intensity, produced exclusively from Picual olives. The two awards extend a long record of recognition for Oro del Desierto, a family-owned and operated business located in Tabernas, in Spain’s southern province of Almería.
Oro Del Desierto Organic Coupage reflects the approach that Oro del Desierto has emphasized across its portfolio, pairing careful agronomy with consistent processing standards to protect freshness and balance. The organic blend was recognized alongside Oro Del Desierto Picual, a monovarietal expression of Spain’s most widely planted cultivar, reinforcing the versatility of the producer’s work across different styles while maintaining a medium-intensity profile.
Producing high-quality olive oil in Tabernas has long required persistence and technical discipline. The desert landscape is widely known beyond agriculture, having served as a backdrop for Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Western films, and for years few observers believed the area was suitable for serious olive oil production. Oro del Desierto has been among the producers demonstrating that extra virgin olive oil can be made to world-class standards even in this arid environment.
As with much of Andalusia, water availability has shaped the outlook for olive growers in recent years. During the prolonged drought that affected flowering across southern Spain, Rafael Alonso Barrau, the commercial and export director at Oro del Desierto, told Olive Oil Times: “In the whole of Andalusia, the forecasts are bad due to the prolonged drought that has negatively affected flowering.” He added: “I can say that Andalusia will once again have a rather low harvest for the second consecutive year,” Alonso concluded.
Against that background, the two Gold Awards at the 2026 NYIOOC mark another milestone in a competition record defined by consistency. Rafael Alonso Aguilera has earned 23 Gold Awards and no Silver Awards at NYIOOC, including two Gold Awards each year from 2018 through 2025, in addition to earlier Gold Awards dating back to 2015.
The results place Rafael Alonso Aguilera among the leading producers in the Olive Oil Times World Ranking, at #6 in Spain, #21 in the Northern Hemisphere and #22 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.