At a Mediterranean wine and olive oil conference in Ancient Olympia, Greece, scientists and olive oil and wine professionals from seven countries examined two pillars of the traditional Mediterranean diet. A rich program of scientific presentations was followed by the Olympia Health & Nutrition Awards ceremony for some of the world’s healthiest olive oils.
Ten years ago, the first Olympia Awards ceremony at the International Olympic Academy in Ancient Olympia became “a turning point that changed the course of history for Greek olive oil,” as olive oil producer Spyros Dafnis put it, by spotlighting especially healthy olive oils that were rich in naturally-occurring phenolic compounds (polyphenols), thus encouraging the production of more high phenolic extra virgin olive oils (HPEVOOs).
This year, some of the speakers and award winners that were present in 2016 returned to the Olympic Academy, and many more joined them “to explore how wine and olive oil may contribute not only to gastronomy and culture, but also to human health and quality of life,” as World Olive Center for Health president and conference co-chair Eleni Melliou said.
Introducing the Mediterranean wine and olive oil conference near an ancient site
In her welcoming remarks, Melliou pointed out that ancient Olympic champions were honored with “the sacred olive wreath — the kotinos — cut from the holy olive tree near the Temple of Zeus,” just a short walk from the conference site. So “an olive branch became the symbol of the highest human achievement.” Moreover, at other competitions, “victorious athletes were often rewarded with precious olive oil stored in large amphorae, one of the most valuable treasures of the ancient world.”
As Melliou pointed out, in Ancient Greece, olive oil and wine together “shaped culture, philosophy, hospitality, celebration, wellbeing, and daily life.” Modern science is providing evidence that the ancients’ respect for these products was well deserved. “We now know that olive oil contains powerful bioactive compounds with important anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, while moderate wine consumption — as part of the Mediterranean lifestyle — has long been associated with longevity and cardiovascular health.”
Prokopios Magiatis and Eleni Melliou at the Mediterranean wine and olive oil conference.
Sharing modern breakthroughs at the Mediterranean wine and olive oil conference
On June 5 and 6, 80 participants at the Wine and Olive Oil in the Mediterranean conference discussed developments and breakthroughs in winemaking and marketing, and in scientific research on the health benefits of high phenolic extra virgin olive oils and products made from them. For example, speakers examined HPEVOOs’ impact on Alzheimer’s, osteoarthritis, cancer, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. Others considered biodiversity or sustainable practices, such as new ways to use byproducts of olive oil and wine. New methods, machinery, and techniques for olive oil production, decision-making, tree dating, and supplement production were introduced.
Some speakers compared the wine and olive oil sectors. Conference co-chair Maria Nikolantonaki proposed Burgundy, France — where tradition and innovation work together — as an inspiration for sustainable development of Greek wine regions. Others suggested that positive developments in the wine sector could hint at paths Greek olive oil producers might follow. Organizing committee member Prokopios Magiatis said he dreams of “a day when olive orchards will be valuable based on the terroir and the quality they produce, as wine is.”
Especially striking conference presentations revealed the possibility of replacing the olive oil production phase of malaxation with a specialized ultrasound invention; computer vision used to predict olive oil’s healthy phenolic content based on images of olives; a mathematical algorithm used to identify the fruitiness, bitterness, and pungency of virgin or extra virgin olive oil based on chemical attributes; and the use of wine lees (sediment at the bottom of a wine vat) as a source of antifungal bioproducts.
One particularly lively panel featured passionate olive oil and wine producers who shared their success stories from various parts of Greece, where they have revived neglected olive groves and vineyards and produced popular, healthy products.
Original top Greek winner, deputy governor, Prokopios Magiatis.
Overviews of high phenolic EVOO research, developments, and activities
Toward the end of the second day of presentations, 120 olive oil producers, professionals, and family members gathered to hear Dan Flynn’s thoughts about how the successful development of the California wine industry might serve as a model for the Greek olive oil sector, Prokopios Magiatis’s summary of recent research findings related to high phenolic extra virgin olive oil’s health benefits, and Eleni Melliou’s overview of the activities of the World Olive Center for Health since its establishment (including financial support for many conferences and scientific studies related to HPEVOO).
Magiatis’s overview of findings on the health benefits of HPEVOO during the past year touched on publications in several countries that have shown benefits of olive oil phenols in combatting cancer, Alzheimer’s, inflammation, diabetes, sarcopenia, pregnancy hypertension, leukemia, and more. Magiatis highlighted the importance of the OleoMets study, where use of an olive oil polyphenol supplement by patients with metabolic syndrome provided new evidence that the phenols naturally found in extra virgin olive oil can have a major impact on health independently, without the healthy fats and other compounds found in the oil.
In addition, an impressive 18 review articles considered multiple studies over the last 12 months, all of them finding evidence of benefits, although additional research is needed to confirm and extend findings. In stark contrast to various medications, clinical trials of HPEVOO and supplements made from it have shown no adverse effects, only desirable outcomes. Magiatis believes such evidence should “help convince everyone high phenolic olive oil should be included in their everyday diet.”
The Olympia Health & Nutrition Awards Ceremony for 2026
After the talks, awards were presented to companies and organizations providing support for research, PhD students receiving scholarships from the Leventis Foundation, companies producing the olive oils richest in health protecting phenols, and many other Olympia Health & Nutrition Award winners. For their support for research on high phenolic olive oil’s health benefits, the Holy Metropolis of Mesogaia, Laconiko, Pamako, and Falansia received prizes.
With more than 1200 samples from over 15 countries analyzed for their phenolic content at the University of Athens this year, the Greek extra virgin olive oils acclaimed for the highest beneficial polyphenol content came from D. Sakkas – Sparta Medicinal Olive Oil (first place, with 3400 mg/kg total phenols), Evaggelia Gkioni – Evolia, and Theodoros Koutsotheodoris – Olive Poem.
Overall, 390 HPEVOOs received prizes, 310 from Greece, 5 from Cyprus, and 75 international. Atsas, Strakka, and Falansia were honored for having the highest phenol content in EVOOs from Cyprus. More generally, Adonis (Tunisia), Cibo Previ (Italian olive oil), and Trasfluid – Vignoli Food (Italy) were celebrated as the top three international olive oils. The Deputy Governor of the Region of Western Greece, Theodoros Vasilopoulos, presented the awards to the top winners with high phenolic EVOOs.
In ancient Greece, as Melliou mentioned, “olive oil was not simply food. It was strength. It was health. It was light. It was sacred.” Reports from this Mediterranean wine and olive oil conference, like others that highlight scientific evidence for the health benefits of these important products, can help consumers worldwide understand the continuing value of food and drink that have enriched the Mediterranean in many ways for millennia.
