The Tuscan Sun Wins 2026 NYIOOC Gold for Bramasole

Cortona, Italy — The Tuscan Sun has been awarded a Gold at the 2026 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition for the Bramasole brand.

Bramasole is a medium-intensity extra virgin olive oil distinguished by notes of artichoke and green almond, with herbaceous aromas and a leafy freshness that carries through the finish. Produced from olives grown in prime olive oil territory outside the town of Cortona, a little over 95 kilometers southeast of Florence, Bramasole reflects the careful work in the grove and attention to timing that help preserve aromatic clarity.

The Tuscan Sun is rooted in the villa and olive groves of author Frances Mayes and her husband, Edward. Bramasole’s reputation grew alongside Mayes’s international best-seller, “Under the Tuscan Sun,” and has continued through her subsequent books, linking the landscape around Cortona to a longstanding interest in Tuscan food culture.

The 2026 Gold adds to a consistent record of results at the World Competition for The Tuscan Sun, which has now earned nine Gold and two Silver awards overall. In 2025, The Tuscan Sun won a Gold, following a Silver in 2024 and Gold awards in 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020, along with Golds in 2018, 2017 and 2016 and a Silver in 2015.

The results also reinforce The Tuscan Sun’s standing in the Olive Oil Times World Ranking, where The Tuscan Sun is ranked #1 in Italy and #3 Worldwide.

In previous coverage of the NYIOOC, producers in Tuscany pointed to the role of meticulous field work in challenging seasons marked by weather volatility. In that reporting, miller Giancarlo Giannini, who is also the producer behind Bramasole, highlighted the importance of expertise at the mill in translating fruit quality into a finished extra virgin olive oil, saying: “I believe the machinery is important, but the operator makes the difference. The oil mill is like a race car: victory depends on the driver.”

The NYIOOC Gold places Bramasole among the world’s elite extra virgin olive oils. 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.