Olio di Oliva: Guida Completa a Tipologie, Etichetta e Come Sceglierlo

Olive Oil: Complete Guide to Types, Labels, and How to Choose It

Olive oil is the most consumed vegetable fat in Italy and one of the pillars of the Mediterranean diet. Yet at the supermarket, you find shelves full of bottles all promising "extra virgin," "organic," "PDO," "100% Italian" — and understanding what you're really buying isn't always easy.

In this guide, you'll find everything you need to navigate: the legal categories of olive oil, what the acronyms on the label mean, the difference between PDO and PGI, how to recognize a quality oil, and how to use it in the kitchen without waste. A twenty-minute read that's worth years of informed purchases.

What is olive oil: the legal categories

Not all olive oils are created equal. European legislation (EC Regulation 29/2012 and EU Regulation 2022/2104) establishes precise categories based on the production process and chemical parameters.

The main categories you'll find on the market are four:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO): mechanically extracted from olives without chemical solvents, with free acidity ≤ 0.8% and absence of organoleptic defects. It is the highest category.
Virgin Olive Oil: obtained with the same mechanical process, but with acidity up to 2% and slight defects allowed. Less prized than EVOO.
Olive Oil: blend of virgin oil and refined oil (obtained with solvents from defective oils). It has acidity ≤ 1% but a neutral organoleptic profile.
Olive Pomace Oil: extracted from pomace (the solid residue after pressing) with chemical solvents and subsequently refined. The least prized; mainly used in the food industry.

When buying oil for daily food use, the only category truly worth bringing to the table is extra virgin. The other categories have inferior organoleptic characteristics and, in the case of refined oil, lose some of the beneficial compounds naturally present in olives.

What is EVO oil and what does the acronym mean

EVO is the acronym for Extra Virgin Olive Oil. In Italy, it is also commonly used in the Italian name of the product — you often find it on labels as a commercial abbreviation.

To be classified as EVO, an oil must meet very strict chemical and sensory parameters:

Maximum free acidity: 0.8% (expressed as oleic acid)
Peroxide value: ≤ 20 meq O₂/kg (oxidation index)
Total absence of sensory defects (rancid, mouldy, heated, winey-vinegary)
Presence of at least one positive attribute (fruity) detectable in a panel test

Is an oil with 0.3% acidity better than one with 0.7% acidity? In theory, yes, but acidity alone doesn't tell the whole story: an oil extracted from healthy olives processed immediately after harvest has entirely different characteristics than one extracted from bruised olives, even if the final acidity is similar. Acidity is a necessary but not sufficient indicator of quality.

How to read an olive oil label

A well-read label is worth a tasting. Here are the mandatory and optional elements you'll find on a bottle of extra virgin olive oil, and what they really mean.

Mandatory elements

Category: "extra virgin olive oil" — must be clearly written.
Net quantity: volume in ml or cl.
Origin of olives: must indicate the country (or countries) of harvest and extraction. "Blend of olive oils of EU origin" is legal but indicates an international blend.
Minimum durability date (MDD): "best before..." — usually 18-24 months from production. This is not an expiry date: a properly stored oil remains edible beyond the MDD, but gradually loses its organoleptic qualities.
Production lot and name and address of the producer.

Optional elements (but significant)

Free acidity: not mandatory on the label, but serious producers indicate it. Below 0.4% is excellent.
Harvest year: crucial for understanding freshness. An oil from the 2024/25 campaign purchased in 2026 still retains its qualities; one from 2022 probably does not.
Cultivar: the variety of olive used. A monocultivar has defined and traceable sensory characteristics.
Harvest method: "hand-picked" or "brucatura" indicate greater care in olive selection.
Extraction temperature: "cold extracted" or "first cold pressing" indicates that extraction took place below 27°C, preserving aromas and polyphenols.

PDO, PGI and Organic: what they really certify

These three certifications address different questions and are not mutually exclusive.

PDO — Protected Designation of Origin
Certifies that the olives are cultivated and processed in a specific delimited geographical area, following precise regulations that include permitted varieties, cultivation methods, harvest times, and production parameters. PDO guarantees not only provenance but also a method. In eastern Sicily, the Monti Iblei PDO protects oils from the provinces of Ragusa and Syracuse, produced mainly from the Tonda Iblea cultivar.

PGI — Protected Geographical Indication
Certifies that at least one phase of production (harvesting, processing, or elaboration) takes place in the indicated area. It is less restrictive than PDO but still guarantees a link with the territory. The PGI Sicilia applies to oils extracted from Sicilian olives in Sicily, regardless of the specific area.

Organic (BIO)
Certifies that the cultivation of olives complies with the European Regulation on organic farming: no synthetic pesticides, no chemical fertilizers, crop rotation, respect for natural balances. It says nothing about the area of origin but guarantees a production method. An oil can be both PDO and organic.

An oil without any of these certifications is not necessarily of lower quality — there are excellent producers who have not requested certification for economic or bureaucratic reasons. But certification is an objective guarantee verified by third parties.

How to choose extra virgin olive oil

There are extra virgin olive oils for 5 euros per liter and extra virgin olive oils for 30 euros per half-liter. The difference is not marketing: it's olive yield, manual harvesting costs, quick extraction, certifications, traceability. A quality oil costs more because it costs more to produce.

Here are practical criteria to guide you:

Look at the price as a first filter: below €6-7/liter, it's almost impossible to get a quality extra virgin olive oil. An unusually low price is a warning sign.
Check the harvest year: oil is a food that ages. Prefer oils from the latest campaign (for Sicily: autumn-winter harvest, on the market from December).
Read the origin: "Blend of olive oils of EU and non-EU origin" means an international blend. If you want to know where the olives come from, it must be clearly stated.
Prefer dark bottles or tins: light oxidizes oil. A dark glass bottle or a steel tin protects better than transparent glass.
Look for acidity on the label: if they indicate it, it's because it's good. If they don't, it's possible that it's not a strong point.
Evaluate the cultivar: olives have different characteristics. A balanced blend offers versatility; a monocultivar has identity and sensory intensity.

Sicilian olive oil: why it's different

Sicily is the leading Italian region for olive groves and produces some of the most awarded extra virgin olive oils in the world. This is due to the combination of climate, soil, and varietal biodiversity: nowhere else can you find so many native cultivars with such distinct profiles.

Sicilian oil is typically distinguished by:

High polyphenol content: hot, dry summers stress the plants positively, promoting the accumulation of antioxidants in the olives. An oil rich in polyphenols has pronounced bitter and pungent notes — which in Italy are called "intense fruity" and are considered a virtue, not a defect.
Early harvest: many Sicilian producers harvest olives when they are still green or just beginning to ripen (the transition from green to purple), resulting in oils with greater aromatic freshness and lower acidity.
Unique varieties: the Nocellara del Belice from the Trapani area, the Tonda Iblea from the Iblei mountains in Ragusa, the Biancolilla from the hills of Palermo — cultivars you won't find elsewhere and which produce oils with characteristics impossible to reproduce in other territories.

In our mills in Chiaramonte Gulfi, in the heart of the Monti Iblei PDO territory, we mainly work with Tonda Iblea, Nocellara del Belice, and Biancolilla: each cultivar tells the story of Sicily in a different way.

Properties and benefits of extra virgin olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil is one of the most studied foods in nutritional science. Its benefits are not a Mediterranean legend: they are documented by decades of research.

Composition

EVOO is composed of approximately 98-99% fats, including:

Oleic acid (70-80%): omega-9 monounsaturated fatty acid, associated with the reduction of LDL ("bad") cholesterol and the increase of HDL ("good") cholesterol.
Polyphenols: phenolic compounds (oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, oleocanthal) with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action. Oleocanthal inhibits the same inflammatory enzymes as ibuprofen, but in quantities naturally present in the oil. Learn more about this topic in our dedicated article on polyphenols in extra virgin olive oil.
Vitamin E: fat-soluble antioxidant that protects cells from oxidative stress.
Squalene, chlorophylls, tocopherols: minor compounds with documented protective effects.

Main benefits

Cardiovascular health: the Mediterranean diet, with EVOO as the main fat, is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular events. The PREDIMED study (2013) showed a 30% reduction in risk for high-risk subjects following a Mediterranean diet with extra virgin olive oil.
Effect on cholesterol: oleic acid replaces saturated fats in the diet, contributing to a more favorable lipid profile. Olive oil does not "raise cholesterol" — on the contrary, it helps improve it if it replaces animal or hydrogenated fats.
Anti-inflammatory effect: polyphenols, particularly oleocanthal, have a documented anti-inflammatory action. This is why EVOO is recommended in anti-aging diets and in the prevention of chronic diseases.

A tablespoon of good quality extra virgin olive oil on an empty stomach in the evening is a widespread practice: it aids digestion, provides polyphenols on an empty stomach (greater bioavailability), and promotes intestinal regularity. It is not a cure, but it is a habit with solid scientific basis.

Olive oil in cooking: uses and cooking

One of the most frequent — and most debated — questions concerns cooking: can extra virgin olive oil be used for cooking? And for frying?

The smoke point

The smoke point is the temperature at which an oil begins to decompose, producing visible smoke and potentially harmful compounds. For extra virgin olive oil, it ranges between 180°C and 210°C, depending on quality and free fatty acid content.

In comparison: butter smokes at about 150°C, refined sunflower oil at around 225-230°C (but it is poor in antioxidants). The smoke point of EVOO is therefore suitable for most domestic cooking, including sautéing and pan-frying over medium-high heat.

Recent research shows that, contrary to popular belief, extra virgin olive oil is more stable to heat than many other oils — precisely thanks to polyphenols and vitamin E which slow down oxidation. It is not the best oil for absolute temperature, but it is one of the safest for daily use. Learn more in our article on extra virgin olive oil in cooking.

Frying with olive oil

Yes, you can fry with extra virgin olive oil. For proper frying:

Use an abundant amount of oil, so that the food is immersed and the temperature stabilizes quickly
Do not exceed 170-180°C (use a thermometer or do the toothpick test)
Do not reuse the same oil more than 2-3 times for frying
Dry foods well before immersing them to reduce splattering and temperature drop

Spray oil: when and how to use it

Extra virgin olive oil in spray format is a practical tool for precise dosing and reducing calories without sacrificing the flavor and benefits of EVOO. It is ideal for:

Dressing salads with controlled amounts
Greasing baking trays and pans before oven or grill cooking
Using it in an air fryer without saturating foods
Dressing pizza, bruschetta, and croutons on the go

Pay attention to the composition: some sprays contain propellants or additives. The Primo BIO Spray by Frantoi Cutrera is 100% organic extra virgin olive oil without additives, in a mechanical dispenser that does not alter the product.

To complete raw seasoning, combine extra virgin olive oil with a pinch of Sicilian fleur de sel: the crunchiness of the crystals and the mineral note of unrefined salt enhance the oil's aromatic profile without overpowering it.

Which Cutrera oil to choose

There is no single best oil: there is the right oil for the use you have in mind. Here's how to navigate our catalog.

For everyday use — dressing, cooking, sautéing:
The Pertutto is our balanced blend of Sicilian cultivars, designed to accompany every dish without overpowering it. Also available in a 3-liter tin for those who use it daily.

For those seeking a certified EVOO with a strong territorial identity:
The Primo PDO Monti Iblei is extracted from olives from the Iblei mountains in Ragusa, PDO certified, with notes of fresh almond, artichoke, and a distinct pungency. The Primo BIO has the same profile in a certified organic version.

For those who want to explore Sicilian cultivars:
The Nocellara Salvatore Cutrera is our monocultivar from Nocellara del Belice: intense fruity, notes of green tomato and almond, pronounced pungency. For a more delicate and floral profile, the Tonda Iblea Giovanni Cutrera — extracted from one of the most elegant native cultivars of eastern Sicily.

For those who use EVOO in cooking with precision:
The Primo BIO Spray — 100% organic extra virgin without additives, in the format that is always present in the kitchen.

Frequently Asked Questions about Olive Oil

What does EVO mean?

EVO is the acronym for Extra Virgin Olive Oil. In Italy, the acronym is commonly used on products and in industry communication. To be classified as EVO, an oil must have acidity ≤ 0.8% and a total absence of sensory defects.

What is the difference between olive oil and extra virgin olive oil?

"Olive oil" on the label almost always indicates a blend of virgin oil and refined oil, with a neutral organoleptic profile and absence of the bioactive compounds typical of EVOO. Extra virgin olive oil is mechanically extracted without solvents, with much stricter chemical and sensory parameters.

Can you fry with extra virgin olive oil?

Yes. The smoke point of EVOO (approximately 180-210°C) is suitable for home frying. Thanks to polyphenols and vitamin E, EVOO is more stable to heat than many refined vegetable oils. For proper frying, maintain the temperature between 165 and 180°C.

What does PDO mean in olive oil?

PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) certifies that both the cultivation of olives and their processing into oil take place in a delimited geographical area, according to precise regulations controlled by third-party bodies. It is the most stringent origin certification for olive oils.

How long does opened extra virgin olive oil last?

An opened bottle should ideally be consumed within 2-3 months of opening. The minimum durability date indicated on the label is calculated for a closed bottle, stored in the dark and at room temperature. Light, heat, and contact with air accelerate oxidation.

What does "organic oil" mean?

Organic (BIO) certification guarantees that the olives were cultivated without synthetic chemical pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or GMOs, in compliance with the European Regulation on organic farming. It does not indicate geographical origin: an oil can be organic but not PDO, and vice versa.

Is a spoon of olive oil at night good for you?

Consuming a spoon of good quality EVOO on an empty stomach in the evening is a practice with scientific basis: polyphenols taken on an empty stomach have greater bioavailability, and oleic acid promotes intestinal function. It is not a therapy, but it is an integration consistent with a healthy diet.

Back to blog