The eight winning oils of Jaén Selección 2026

Every campaign, Jaén reminds us again why his extra virgin olive oil is synonymous with excellence. The distinctive "Jaén Selección" was created by the Council of Jaén in 2003 to highlight the best extra virgin olive oils from each harvest. Eight oils are distinguished every year.

In this edition, the Cata-Jaén Selección 2026 competition has again focused on the excellence of the early AOVE, supporting the commitment to quality as investment of the future and as a guarantee of defense of the Giennense olive tree, mostly traditional and of a variety of spice.

Winners Jaén Selection 2026

These are the oils recognized as Jaén Selección 2026:

• Biatia fields.
• Jabalcuz Great Selection
• Gold of Canava
• Gold Dancing
• Sierra de Sao Tomé Oils
• Canena lands
• Puerta de las Villas
• Balcony del Guadalquivir

What is "Jaén Selection" and why is it so important

Jaén Selección "is a brand that is born with the aim of increasing the value of extra virgin olive oils of higher quality, encouraging producers to obtain and market excellent oils and improving the image of early AOVE on the market.

Since the start of the competition in 2006 as we know it today, 49 oils from different brands have achieved this distinction in these 20 years, consolidating it as one of the most relevant recognitions in the sector.

How oils are chosen: blind tasting, guarantees and a panel of experts

The selection of oils is made by a blind tasting. To ensure equal conditions, the Diputación provides uniform-format packaging for the collection of the presented oils, and a tasting sheet is produced for each sample.
The procedure also has a notarial presence, which guarantees the anonymity and the faithful development of the process: from the sampling and seal of deposits in almazara to the complete supervision of the tasting.

According to the bases, eight oils are selected:

• Six of conventional or integrated production
• Two of organic production, being at least one of a Picual variety

The Tasting Panel 2026: Spain, Portugal and Italy

The panel consists of 10 well-known tasters, including two international tasters (Portugal and Italy). Here are your names and charges:

1. Brigida Jiménez Herrera (Head of Panel)
   Director of the Instituto de Investigación y Formación Agraria y Pesquera (IFAPA) de Cabra (Córdoba), of the Consejeria de Agricultura de la Junta de Andalucía.
2. Fernando Martínez Román
   Head of the Tata Panel of the Instituto de la Grasa de Sevilla. R & D & I specialist of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC).
3. José Mª Pisco Valenzuela
   Agricultural Engineer and Project Director of the Spanish Association of Olivo Municipalities (AEMO). Consultant to the International Olive Council (IOC).
4. María Paz Aguilera Herrera
   Technical specialist at the IFAPA Llano Center, Mengibar (Jaén).
5. Francisca García González
   Secretary General of the Regulatory Council of the First Designation of Origin of Córdoba and Head of the Panel of the D.O.
6. María José Moyano Pérez
   Specialist in R & D & I at the Instituto de la Grasa (CSIC), Seville.
7. Elena Díaz Mejías
   Responsible for the Department of Sensorial Analysis of the Agro-food Arbitration Laboratory. Head of AOV tasting panel of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
8. Pascual Morales acid
   Head of the Tata Panel of the Agro-food Laboratory of Córdoba, Junta de Andalucía.
9. Ana Paula Brito Dos Santos Carrilho
   Member of the Tasting Panel of the Lisbon and Perita Institute of Agronomy in Sensory Analysis of the IOC.
10. Alfredo Marasciulo
    Panel leader of the BIOL International Prize for the Best Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

More oils, more companies and 35 municipalities represented

This 2025-2026 campaign returns to the path of normal in terms of production estimation, placing the province of Jaén in a forecast similar to the average of the last 10 campaigns and close to the previous one. Although the absence of rainfall at the end of summer and early autumn seemed to be a handicap for early oils, in general terms it has been minimized by the extensive selection of plots made by producers and manufacturers.

Key participation data:

• 62 oils (7 more than 2025)
• 45 of conventional or integrated production (5 more than in 2025)
• 17 certificates as organic (2 more than in 2025)
• Predominant variety: picual (58), in addition to arbequina (1), royal (1), coratina (1) and a coupage (picual carrascana and picudo)
• 53 companies (26 cooperatives and 27 other legal forms): approximately 50% of the social economy
• 35 municipalities of the province represented in the tasting contest

Jaén Selection: a seal that also drives oleoturism

The oils "Jaén Selección" become one of the main demands in the tourist promotion of the Diputación de Jaén: they are present in fairs, professional days, actions with press and prescribers, and proposals addressed to the final consumer, where the catas and tastings help to connect the visitor with the territory, its culture and its most emblematic product.