What does it take to earn an advanced olive oil sommelier certification? Tasting expertise is essential, but only part of the picture. For professionals who want to deepen their expertise and move beyond basic sensory skills, an intensive, international, highly practical learning experience in Athens this November will examine olive oil from every angle.
From November 10-14, 2026, Athens will become a meeting point for some of the leading international voices in the olive oil world in the 360° Advanced Olive Oil Sommelier Certificate Program.
A different kind of olive oil education
What makes the Athens program stand out is its 360° perspective.
Rather than treating olive oil simply as a product to be tasted and evaluated, it explores the connections among sensory analysis, quality, production, gastronomy, health, sustainability, olive oil tourism, communication, and the market.
Through guided comparative tastings, including rare, distinctive, and benchmark oils, participants develop their ability to recognize positive attributes and defects, assess balance and complexity, and describe what they perceive clearly and precisely. Comparing cultivars, origins, and production styles widens participants’ frame of reference. The profile of the olive oil in the glass is also explored in relation to decisions made during harvesting, extraction, filtration, storage, and packaging.
For professionals, this broader perspective is increasingly valuable. Producers and brand owners need to understand how to make better decisions, communicate quality, and differentiate their products. Millers can connect processing choices more directly with sensory outcomes. Chefs and hospitality professionals need to know how to select olive oils for particular uses or dishes and explain the oils’ role with confidence. Buyers and retailers need stronger tools for evaluating and presenting products and building successful olive oil portfolios. Educators, tasting professionals, and those working in olive oil tourism can create experiences that visitors understand, remember, and share.
For all participants, the same principle applies: deeper knowledge creates greater professional confidence, stronger judgment, and a more credible voice within the olive oil sector.
This kind of olive oil sommelier certification is designed to create not only better tasters, but also more complete olive oil professionals.
Learning from the best in the field
A major strength of the Athens program is its international faculty.
Participants will learn from recognized experts across the olive oil value chain, bringing together different areas of expertise rather than relying on a single perspective.
The program is organized by the International Olive Oil Network (IOON) in collaboration with the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), with contributions from specialists connected to IOC-recognized sensory panels, including the Swiss Olive Oil Panel and the Olive Oil Sensory Evaluation Laboratory of Crete.
The faculty includes Professor Annette Bongartz of ZHAW and the Swiss Olive Oil Panel; Eleftheria Germanaki, head of the Olive Oil Sensory Evaluation Laboratory of Crete; and Emmanouil Karpadakis, whose work connects olive oil quality, production excellence, and international markets.
They are joined by American olive oil expert and brand strategist Nicholas Coleman; Dr. Tassos Kyriakides of the Yale School of Public Health; and Professor Juan Antonio Parrilla-González, Vice-Dean at the University of Jaén and Director of Picualia Oleoturismo. These experts offer perspectives on health, professional positioning, academia, production, and the growing importance of olive oil experiences.
Gastronomy is explored with recognized Italian specialists Chef Andrea Perini and Filippo Falugiani, founder of AIRO, the International Association of Olive Oil Restaurants.
The program also includes viewpoints from Asia, with Hong Kong sensory-experience curator Alky Ma; Jungsuk Lee, founder of the Korea International Olive Oil Competition; and additional international contributors.
This international exchange is one of this olive oil sommelier certification program’s defining characteristics. Participants are not simply attending a course. They are entering an environment where they can learn directly from top professionals, discuss experiences with peers from different countries, and build an international professional network.
An olive oil sommelier certification experience that extends beyond the classroom
From November 10-13, participants will take part in intensive program sessions, which will generally run from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM.
A particularly important element is the opportunity to taste more than 100 olive oils from all over the world. This will enable participants to compare cultivars, origins, styles, and expressions of quality through a structured sensory experience.
On November 13, participants will attend the Future of Olive Oil Summit, an international conference, followed by a cocktail reception.
The program concludes on November 14 with a visit to an olive mill and an optional add-on to the Advanced Program: the Mini Master Miller module. This module focuses on connecting sensory knowledge with what happens during olive processing and quality management.
The program venue, NYX Esperia Palace Hotel Athens, is located in the center of the city. It offers an environment designed not only for learning, but also for informal interaction between participants and faculty.
And this is an important part of the experience. Meals, tastings, receptions, and conversations encourage participants to exchange ideas, compare markets, and create professional connections that continue long after the program ends.
Athens: more than a geographical choice for the program
Greece is one of the world’s great olive oil cultures, with longstanding interconnections among the olive tree, food, landscape, and everyday life. In Athens, participants can experience this heritage while engaging with a contemporary and internationally-oriented professional olive oil education program.
For Greek professionals, there is another dimension.
Greece does not need to reproduce another country’s identity or model of olive oil excellence. It has its own cultivars, landscapes, producers, gastronomy, and stories. What it needs is professionals able to understand these assets deeply, communicate them credibly, and make their value clear to international audiences.
That requires more than producing an excellent oil. It requires the sensory judgment, technical understanding, language, confidence, and market awareness to explain why it all matters.
For those ready to pursue olive oil sommelier certification at the highest level
The 360° Advanced Olive Oil Sommelier Certificate Program is intended for people who already have an interest or professional connection to olive oil and want to take their knowledge—and their professional profile—to a significantly higher level.
It offers something increasingly important in today’s olive oil sector: the ability to connect knowledge.
To understand not only whether an olive oil is good, but why.
Not only how it tastes, but how it can be used.
Not only how it is produced, but how quality can be protected.
Not only how to communicate it, but how to create value around it.
Ultimately, the Athens program is about developing a more complete way of seeing olive oil—and giving professionals the knowledge, confidence, and international perspective to put that understanding into practice.
Athens, November 10–14, 2026: five days to taste deeper, understand more, and take the next step in your olive oil journey. Learn more about the Athens 360° Advanced Olive Oil Sommelier Program here.
Originally published on Greek Liquid Gold: Authentic Extra Virgin Olive Oil: greekliquidgold.com. See that site for recipes with olive oil, photos from Greece, agrotourism and food tourism suggestions, and olive oil news and information. To get that news right in your inbox, sign up for the free monthly Greek olive oil newsletter at https://greekliquidgold.com/newsletter-signup/ (and then check the box in the confirmation email).