Best Australian olive oil Check the harvest, then trust your taste.
Buy extra virgin, from the newest harvest you can find, in a size you'll finish. For drizzling, a mild oil like Olio Bello's Arbequina. For a peppery finish, Eagle Bay Olives' Intense Fruity.
- Buy
- Extra virginThe top grade, defined in AS 5264-2011
- Look for
- Harvest yearIt says more than the best-before
- Medals
- Read the score97.5% of 2026 WA Olive Awards entries won one
- Taste first
- 4 stopsEagle Bay south to Margaret River
How to choose a good bottle
Buy extra virgin. It's the top grade: oil taken from the fruit by mechanical means, with no refining, and fit to eat as it is. Australia's standard, AS 5264-2011, defines it, and the Australian Olive Association certifies oils against it.
"Olive oil" on its own is a different product. Internationally it means a blend of refined and virgin oils. The Australian standard also targets label words like "pure" and "light", and says claims such as "cold pressed" must be backed up.
Look for the harvest year as well as the best-before. CHOICE says a best-before isn't necessarily a good guide to freshness. The harvest tells you which season the oil is from. At Cowaramup, Olio Bello presses from April to June.
A medal is a score, not a placing. Judges taste blind and score each oil out of 100. At the WA Olive Awards, silver starts at 76 and gold at 86. In 2026, 97.5% of entries won a medal.
The triangle is the industry's certified mark. Brands signed up to the Australian Olive Association's code, OliveCare, can print it, and it means the oil met the criteria when tested. A small grove may not be listed, so ask.
Flavoured oils are their own thing. Co-pressed oils are made by pressing fruit or herbs with the olives, such as lemon or basil. Infused oils have the flavour added afterwards. Competitions judge both separately from plain extra virgin.
Taste it on its own first. Competition judges look for a fresh, clean smell of fruit, flavour that carries through to the palate, and a light, creamy feel in the mouth rather than an oily one.
Mild and robust describe taste, not quality. Mild oils have little pepper; robust ones have more pepper and bitterness. To find yours, plan a tasting day around Margaret River.
Where to taste before you buy
Four South West makers where you can taste the oil in person, from Eagle Bay south to Margaret River. All four sell online too. No prices here: see the current price at the maker's site, and check hours before you drive out.
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STOP 1
Eagle Bay Olives, Eagle Bay: mild and robust side by side
Eagle Bay Olives is a family-run grove on Cape Naturaliste Road, between Dunsborough and Yallingup. It makes two extra virgin oils, one mild and one robust, so it's a good place to find out which style you prefer.
Fresh Fruity is Leccino on its own, which the grove calls delicate, fruity and buttery: one for bread, salads and fish. Intense Fruity is Frantoio, robust with a peppery finish, for grilled meat, beans and bitter greens.
The farm shop pours its latest harvest for tasting, and the oils are sold online too; check postage at the checkout. Hours change, so check before you go.
Good forLearning which style you likeTryIntense Fruity, if you like a peppery finishSizes100 ml to 1 litre, and a 5 litre tin while it lastsIn personFarm shop, Cape Naturaliste Road, Eagle BayAlso on the shelf
Eagle Bay Olives makes chilli, garlic and herb oils too, plus table olives, dukkah, pesto and tapenade. That's a bread-and-oil board sorted.
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STOP 2
Providore, Metricup: free tastings and flavoured oils
Providore is the shop for a Metricup farm that also trades as Mount of Olives, and its olive oil tastings are complimentary. The shelves run well past oil, to jams, chutneys and sauces, so it suits a car full of tastes.
The plain oil is the Margaret River Oil Blend, which Providore says is cold-pressed from groves in the region, and describes as grassy and peppery with a buttery finish. It comes in a 100 ml bottle, a good size to try or to give.
The flavoured range is bigger: garlic and rosemary, roasted chilli, and small bottles of garlic, lime, blood orange and truffle oil. Check hours before you go.
Good forFree tastings, and flavoured oils to cook withTryGarlic and rosemary oil over roast potatoesSizesPlain oil in 100 ml; flavoured oils in 100 ml or 375 mlIn personTasting centre and shop, MetricupBring home
Providore packs its table olives in 300 g jars. Put a bowl beside the oil and the bread, and the nibbles are done.
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STOP 3
Olio Bello, Cowaramup: taste one variety at a time
Olio Bello's tasting room, farm shop and cafe are on Armstrong Road, Cowaramup. It bottles Arbequina and Leccino as single varieties, so you can taste what one olive does on its own. The grove calls Arbequina soft and creamy.
At the 2026 WA Olive Awards, its Leccino scored 86 out of 100 for gold, and its Arbequina 82 for silver. Olio Bello sponsors the awards' Best Oil of Show trophy. That year, 97.5% of entries won a medal.
From April to June you can watch the milling and taste the season's new oil, the Olio Nuovo. Check hours before you go.
Good forTasting one olive variety at a timeTryArbequina for drizzling, or the Leccino when it's back inSizes50 ml to 4 litres, plus a pack of three 50 ml bottlesOrganicOn Australian Certified Organic's registerTaste three
Olio Bello sells a pack of three 50 ml bottles, and you pick the oils: an easy way to taste three side by side.
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STOP 4
Vasse Virgin, Margaret River: oils named by taste
Vasse Virgin's two stores in the region are the original soap factory at Wilyabrup and a shop on Bussell Highway in Margaret River. Its everyday oils are named for how they taste: Mild and Delicate, and Rich and Robust.
Vasse Virgin says both are cold-pressed from handpicked olives, from selected groves in the Margaret River region and elsewhere in WA. For the kitchen there's Robust in a 1 litre stainless steel container; its variety changes through the season.
Vasse Virgin says its lemon and basil oils are pressed with the olives. For a lesson, its tasting room runs a paid EVOO 101 class on tasting and spotting faults, led by a staff member it calls a qualified olive oil sommelier.
Good forChoosing by style, mild or robustTryRich and Robust if you like a bolder oilSizes250 ml and 500 ml, or 1 litre of RobustIts own listVasse Virgin's stockist list includes Perth's domestic and international airportsOrdering from home
Petra Olive Oil sells its own blend in a 500 ml bottle or 2.5 litre tin, plus lemon and lime oils pressed with the olives. It posts within Australia, so allow 10 to 14 days, or visit its shop in Claremont, Perth.
Choosing olive oil: questions
What is the best olive oil in Australia?
There's no single best: buy fresh extra virgin in a style you like. From South West makers, by taste and use:
- Mild, for drizzling: Olio Bello's Arbequina, Eagle Bay Olives' Fresh Fruity, Vasse Virgin's Mild and Delicate
- Robust and bold: Eagle Bay Olives' Intense Fruity, Vasse Virgin's Rich and Robust
- Big sizes for everyday cooking: Petra's own blend in a 2.5 litre tin, Eagle Bay Olives' 5 litre tin, Vasse Virgin's 1 litre Robust
- Pressed with citrus: Petra's lemon and lime, Vasse Virgin's lemon
- Infused: Eagle Bay Olives' chilli, garlic and herb; Petra's herb, chilli and garlic; Providore's garlic and rosemary, and roasted chilli
More on our olive oil page.
What makes olive oil extra virgin?
It's the top grade: taken from the fruit by mechanical means, with no refining, and fit to eat as it is. Australia's standard, AS 5264-2011, defines the grade and sets tests for quality and authenticity.
The Australian Olive Association says the standard also requires claims such as "cold pressed" to be backed up.
How can I tell if olive oil is fresh?
Look for the harvest year, not only the best-before. CHOICE suggests looking for a harvest date, because a best-before isn't necessarily a good guide to freshness.
Some makers name the season: Petra calls its blend a 2025 oil, and Olio Bello names the vintage of its Arbequina on its site. Buy where stock moves quickly.
How long does olive oil last once opened?
Buy a size you'll finish while it's fresh. CHOICE suggests using it within six months of opening, and buying a size that matches what you use in a month. Keep it cool, dark and tightly closed, away from the stove.
What is the triangle symbol on Australian olive oil?
It's the industry's certified mark, from the Australian Olive Association's OliveCare code. Brands signed up to the code can print it, and it means the oil met the criteria at the time of testing.
The association says OliveCare covers about 90% of Australian production. A small grove may not be on its list, so ask the maker.
Do olive oil medals mean it's the best?
No. A medal is a score band, and most entries win one. At recent national and WA awards, between 92% and 98.5% of entries won a medal.
So look at the level and, where it's published, the score. At the WA Olive Awards, gold starts at 86 out of 100.
What's the difference between infused and co-pressed olive oil?
Co-pressed oil goes through the press with the flavouring; infused oil has it added afterwards. Petra says its lemon and lime oils are pressed with the olives, and Vasse Virgin says the same of its lemon and basil.
Competitions judge flavoured oils in their own classes, apart from plain extra virgin.
Where can I buy South West olive oil in Perth?
Petra has a shop in Claremont, and Olio Bello and Vasse Virgin sell through Perth shops. Olio Bello lists where it's sold on its own site, and Vasse Virgin lists its stockists, including Perth's airports.
All five makers here also sell online.