Explore award-winning EVOO in Tastebook® sensory training Series 2
As a grower, your work in the grove culminates in the complex profile of your oil. But do you know how to truly appreciate the results? Understanding the flavour nuances of the oil you produce is the one of the best tools in your marketing toolkit when it comes to promoting your products and brand.
The AOA’s Tastebook® EVOO sensory training program is designed for both new and experienced olive industry participants who want to deepen their understanding of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) by focusing on the positive sensory characteristics that define a premium product.
The guided at-home tasting workshops are led by Trudie Michels, Convenor and Chief Steward of the Australian International Olive Awards. A professional assessor of extra virgin olive oil since 2003, Trudie brings over two decades of sensory expertise to this training.
2026 Series 2 – Award Winning Oils
Following on from the first highly-popular training workshop, 2026 Tastebook® Series 2 showcases a selection of award-winning oils from the 2026 Australian International Olive Awards. Participants will explore a range of gold, silver and bronze medal-winning extra virgin olive oils to discover the differences in quality, appreciate the unique characteristics of each oil, and experience some of the very best Australian and international producers have to offer.
For producers, this is a great opportunity to benchmark your oils against those judged among ‘the best’. For olive oil enthusiasts, the guided tasting will help identify the characteristics which make a top-quality oil.
Self-contained learning kit
Participants will receive a curated EVOO Tasting Pack of six Extra virgin Olive oils delivered to your door, along with a video link from Trudie showing you how to improve your tasting technique. The kit is designed to be a self-contained learning tool, featuring a selection of oils and sealed feedback sheets for each sample to help you benchmark your skills against a professional.
Cost and timeframe
The cost for participation in the workshop, including the EVOO Tasting Pack and delivery, is $125 inc GST for AOA members and $150 inc GST for non-members.
Registrations close on 13 November, with tasting packs dispatched from 23 November. Reserve your place here.
About Tastebook®
The Tastebook® program was developed by the Australian Olive Association in 2017 and provided sensory training for both producers and competition judges, predominantly undertaken online. In 2019-20 a series of sensory training workshops using the Tastebook® platform was run across the country via the project Australian olive industry sensory training (OL17003), funded through the Hort Innovation Olive Fund using the olive R&D levy and contributions from the Australian Government.