Croatia's Istrian peninsula has done it again. The region has been named the world's best olive oil region for the tenth time in the Flos Olei guide, the international reference work for extra virgin olive oil, this time in its 2027 edition. If you needed a reason to plan a food-focused trip to this Adriatic corner, here it is.
The accolade isn't a one-off. Istrian producers have built their reputation over years by pairing traditional olive cultivation with modern milling techniques and an almost obsessive focus on quality. Two estates, Mate and Ipša, earned the guide's maximum score of 100 points, and a string of other Croatian producers picked up standout individual ratings. The peninsula's Mediterranean climate, soils and seaside position make it naturally good olive country — but the small and medium-sized producers here have turned that potential into international acclaim.
What makes this genuinely relevant for travellers is how open the region is about it. Many Istrian producers have opened their estates and tasting rooms to visitors, so you can walk among the groves, watch the press in action during harvest season and taste oils alongside local wines, olive-cured snacks and the truffle-heavy dishes the region is also famous for. Olive oil tourism has become a real part of Croatia's push to develop food and wine experiences that stretch beyond the usual summer beach holiday.
For consumers back home, the awards are a useful shortcut: a bottle carrying an Istrian estate's name and a good Flos Olei score is a reliable signal of quality. For visitors on the ground, it means the tasting-room circuit is worth building a day or two of an itinerary around — think winding country roads between Motovun and Grožnjan, farm gates with signs reading "tastings", and oils that range from delicate to fiercely peppery.
Istria works well as a food destination precisely because the story doesn't stop at oil. The same peninsula produces respected white wines like Malvazija, hunts truffles in the Motovun forest, and serves some of the best seafood on the Adriatic. Add in hilltop Venetian-era towns and a coastline a short drive from Italy and Slovenia, and you have a compact region where a food-focused holiday fills a week easily. The tenth Flos Olei title just confirms what locals have been saying for years: this is one of the world's great small-scale olive oil territories, and it welcomes visitors who want to taste it at the source.
