Dwarda Ridge top of West Australian olive table
Dwarda Ridge Estate of Boddington won the Best WA Table Olive and Don Vica Pty Ltd of Fremantle won the Best of Show in the 2008 West Australian Olive Council (WAOC) Table Olive Competition.
Commenting at an awards function yesterday at Edgecombe Brothers Winery, Henley Brook, chief Judge and chair of the judging panel, Professor Stan Kailis, said he was pleased this year to award gold medals to three products, silver to 10 and bronze to seven.
“That 80pc of entries were awarded medals indicates improved quality of table olives and it’s encouraging to have entries from as far as New Zealand and Queensland,” he said.
There were 26 entries in six classes: kalamata; naturally black, excluding kalamata; green Spanish style; green Sicilian style, brine treated; flavoured or spiced; olive pastes and tapenades.
In each class, judges evaluated attributes such as flavour (bitterness, saltiness and acidity), aroma, appearance, texture and taste.
Dwarda Ridge Estate won gold and Best WA Table Olive for a lye treated green Spanish style Manzanillo, described by the judges as a good, firm olive product, with a subtle aroma and good texture.
Don Vica won gold and Best of Show in the flavoured or spiced class for its Chalkidikis olives, which had excellent texture in the mouth, strong flavours and good spice mix.
The other gold medal went to Merrick and Sons of York for a kalamata tapenade, described as succulent, with pleasant aroma and packed with flavour, with the accompanying anchovies and capers well balanced with the olives.
The judging panel, comprising Thelma Burnett, Maggie Edmonds, Daniel Walton, Tim Martella, Mike Baker, Isabelle Okis, Meredith Skinner and Hui Jun Chih, was trained and led by Professor Kailis.
WAOC competition administrator and olive grower, Helen Grant of Balingup said the competition was a great opportunity for olive producers to benchmark their product.
“It also showcases the outstanding quality and freshness of locally grown and produced olives and grower and producer participation ensures that quality table olive products continue to be available to consumers,” she said.
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Sunday, August 17th, 2008 at 5:04 pm under
