Southern Hemisphere
OLIO NUOVO DAYS — SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
SEPTEMBER 16-18, 2026 · PARIS
Since 2016, Olio Nuovo Days has been the first international competition dedicated exclusively to freshly harvested extra virgin olive oils from the Southern Hemisphere.
In 2026, the competition returns to Paris with a clear focus:
to reveal and celebrate the very first expressions of the new harvest.
TWO COMPLEMENTARY COMPETITIONS
QUALITY & DESIGN
Olio Nuovo Days is built around two distinct yet complementary approaches:
the evaluation of the oil itself, and the way it is presented.
QUALITY COMPETITION
On September 17, the finalist Olio Nuovo — freshly extracted extra virgin olive oils — will be presented to the grand jury for evaluation at Le Cordon Bleu Paris Hôtel de La Marine by an international panel of experts.
The jury will bring together:
- Chefs
- Sommeliers
- Food scientists
- Professional olive oil tasters
We are pleased to announce that Didier Mariotti, Chef de Cave and Executive Director of Winemaking at Veuve Clicquot, will serve as President of the Quality Jury, bringing to OLIO NUOVO DAYS SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE 2026 his outstanding expertise in sensory evaluation.
This cross-disciplinary approach reflects the ambition of Olio Nuovo Days:
to assess olive oil not only as a product, but as a sensory and cultural object.
DESIGN COMPETITION
Alongside the quality evaluation, a Design Competition will highlight the visual identity of olive oil.
Chaired by Octave de Gaulle,
this competition explores how form, material and graphic expression shape the perception of quality.
From bottle to branding, it considers packaging as the first encounter between the oil and its audience.
A MOMENT OF REVELATION
The competition focuses on oils at a unique stage —
just after extraction, when their aromatic profile is at its most vibrant.
From delicate early expressions to more structured profiles,
the selection offers a rare snapshot of the Southern Hemisphere harvest.
BEYOND THE COMPETITION
The announcement of the results will be followed by a presentation of the awarded oils,
introducing professionals and media to the diversity and quality of Southern Hemisphere productions.
A dedicated Master Class for Chefs and sommeliers, led by Emmanuelle Dechelette and Marcelo Scofano, will offer a deeper understanding of premium extra virgin olive oils:
- how to recognize quality
- how to select oils
- how to use them in gastronomy
A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY IN PARIS
Participating in Olio Nuovo Days means presenting your oil at a decisive moment of its life —
when freshness, balance and typicity are fully expressed.
A competition dedicated to the present moment of olive oil.
Founded in 2016 to celebrate Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the highest quality of Olive Oil, OLIO NUOVO is a movement and a competition renowned to be a high end selection.
Always striving for excellence, Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) was not enough for our standards. OLIO NUOVO means fresh Olive Oil, and because Olive Oil is a fruit juice, it is obviously better when it is fresh.
In order to propose unique EVOOs, OLIO NUOVO organizes 2 competitions every year, highlighting the fresh new production of the season. A unique opportunity to experience the taste and take advantage of vitamins and antioxidants: OLIO NUOVO Northern and Southern Hemisphere.
QUALITY COMPETITION jury
Didier MARIOTTI, President of the competition
VEUVE CLICQUOT, Chef de Cave and Executive Director of Winemaking
Didier MARIOTTI, President of the competition
VEUVE CLICQUOT, Chef de Cave and Executive Director of Winemaking
As the 11th Cellar Master of Maison Veuve Clicquot, Didier Mariotti embodies the pursuit of excellence through precision, sensory expertise and craftsmanship. His work combines respect for tradition with a contemporary vision of winemaking, making him one of the leading figures in the world of sensory evaluation.
Marcelo SCOFANO, Panel Leader
ESTILO GOURMET, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Marcelo SCOFANO, Panel Leader
ESTILO GOURMET, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Marcelo Scofano, chef and oleologist from Rio de Janeiro, is the founder of Estilo Gourmet, a movement celebrating the finest olive oils. Researcher, consultant, and international trainer, he is renowned for his work on olive oil pairings. His life is devoted to sensory exploration—always infused with his signature good vibes.
Guillaume Siegler
Chef Instructor, Le Cordon Bleu Paris
Guillaume Siegler
Chef Instructor, Le Cordon Bleu Paris
Trained in Michelin-starred kitchens from Angers to Paris — Le Violon d’Ingres, Carré des Feuillants — Guillaume Siegler built his craft under some of France’s finest chefs before taking his talent international, running Le Pré Verre in both Paris and Tokyo. In Japan he pivoted from stove to classroom, spending five years shaping Le Cordon Bleu Tokyo into a benchmark for culinary education, picking up two national cooking titles along the way.
Back in Paris since 2017, he now leads the Bachelor’s and Culinary Management programs at Le Cordon Bleu — bringing the same rigor and curiosity to the ONDHS jury table.
Christophe LAVELLE, PhD Scientific Advisor
CNRS, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATIONAL HISTORY, Paris, France
Christophe LAVELLE, PhD Scientific Advisor
CNRS, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATIONAL HISTORY, Paris, France
Christophe Lavelle is a CNRS biophysicist at the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle and co-founder of the Food 2.0 LAB, exploring the molecular science of cooking. Author of numerous books and editor of the Handbook of Molecular Gastronomy, he passionately bridges art and science through teaching in top French institutions like Le Cordon Bleu. Scientific advisor to Olio Nuovo Days, he regularly presents playful and insightful masterclasses—most recently on polyphenols and olive oil ganache.
Philippe JAMESSE
Former Head Sommelier, Les Crayères – Consultant, La Juste Bulle, Reims, France
Philippe JAMESSE
Former Head Sommelier, Les Crayères – Consultant, La Juste Bulle, Reims, France
A leading figure in the world of Champagne, Philippe Jamesse built his reputation as head sommelier of the legendary Les Crayères in Reims, becoming renowned for his pioneering work on wine service and glassware — notably as creator of the Jamesse-Lehmann glass collection.
Now a consultant at La Juste Bulle, he brings his geo-sensorial expertise in blending, dosage and terroir to the Olio Nuovo Days Hémisphère Sud 2026 jury.
Roberto Alvarez
Journalist & Champagne Editor, Reims, France
Roberto Alvarez
Journalist & Champagne Editor, Reims, France
Raised in Reims by a family from Castile and León, Roberto Alvarez built his career around the city’s rhythm of vines and cellars. A journalist first — at Radio Magnum, then in Paris as editor of Entrevue and reporter for Paris Match, Le Figaro Magazine and Marie Claire International, covering conflict and crime from Hollywood to Colombia — he later ran Gamma’s Los Angeles bureau for eight years before returning to helm France-Soir.
In 2015 he founded Flacons of Champagne, a lifestyle supplement to L’Équipe dedicated to the region’s winemakers and houses. An epicurean at heart, he has a particular fondness for still, unblended wines in their earliest form — and for the 1998 and 2002 vintages.
Marlène STAIGER
Independant Master Blender & Creative Director, Paris, France
Marlène STAIGER
Independant Master Blender & Creative Director, Paris, France
Taste designer and creative director, Marlène Staiger has spent more than fifteen years exploring the meeting point between flavour and fragrance. Co-founder of the poetic liqueur brand H.Theoria, she developed its recipes, blends and sensory rituals, approaching liqueurs much like perfumes.
Today, through her studio Poetic Molecules, she collaborates with spirits houses, chefs, designers and perfumers to craft sensory experiences where taste becomes a language, and every blend carries a clear signature and intention.
Gabriel LEPOUSEZ
Neurobiologist, PhD & Neuroscience Researcher, specialist in sensory perception and brain plasticity, Paris, France
Gabriel LEPOUSEZ
Neurobiologist, PhD & Neuroscience Researcher, specialist in sensory perception and brain plasticity, Paris, France
A French neuroscientist and international expert in the brain circuits involved in sensory perception, memory integration, emotions and brain-body communication, Gabriel Lepousez shares his extensive knowledge of how the brain works during wine and food tasting with professionals and amateurs alike, contributing to French and international academic courses, conferences, wine education programs and wine and food magazines.
He is a member of the tasting committee of La Revue du Vin de France, a member of the Académie du Vin de France and the Académie Amorim. For Olio Nuovo Days, he serves as an advisor and leads master classes exploring the science of taste.
Nancy GILCHRIST
Master of Wine & Olive Oil Sommelier, Founder of Matters of Taste, United Kingdom
Nancy GILCHRIST
Master of Wine & Olive Oil Sommelier, Founder of Matters of Taste, United Kingdom
Nancy Gilchrist holds the Master of Wine qualification, the most prestigious credential in the world of wine, built over a distinguished career directing the Christie’s Wine Education Program and teaching at Leith’s School of Food & Wine, with a specialist focus on Champagne, South Africa, Alto Adige and Sicily.
Drawn to the parallels with fine wine — terroir, cultivar diversity, artisan craft — she became a certified Olive Oil Sommelier, conducting field research across the world’s top EVOO regions and now leading tasting classes through her venture Matters of Taste.
