When it comes to the World Olive Oil Competition, my thinking has always been to recognize and celebrate every producer who manages to achieve outstanding quality.

That's why I decided years ago to do away with the Best in Class award, saying at the time, "Crafting a high-quality olive oil is an arduous task. Every producer who manages to do so deserves to be recognized without unjustified hierarchies."

The notion that an oil that received a score of 96 by a panel of judges is better than an oil that scored a 94 is nonsense. Sensory analysis is the best way to record how an oil tastes at the time, but it's an imperfect metric.

I know that a panel can score an oil a 78, and then 82 a few hours later. As I explained in announcing my decision back then, "even the line between ‘good’ and ‘great’ can be fuzzy."

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