The "Jaén Selección" seal, created in 2003 by the Diputación de Jaén, brings together the finest extra virgin olive oils of Jaén from each harvest, rewarding excellence in product quality. The rules for taking part in the "Jaén Selección 2026" Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tasting Competition have now been published, with an application deadline of 20 November. Jaén Selección is a brand created to boost the value of the highest organoleptic-quality EVOOs, encouraging producers to obtain and market quality oils, and to improve the image and market position of olive oil from Jaén. The 2025 edition was chaired by Brígida Jiménez (director of IFAPA), with a panel of experts from IFAPA Cabra and Venta del Llano, the Instituto de la Grasa in Seville, AEMO, the Agri-Food Industrial Laboratory of the Regional Government of Extremadura, the regulatory board of the Priego de Córdoba PDO, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Agri-Food Laboratory of Córdoba, and the Higher Institute of Agronomy of Lisbon. The 8 Jaén Selección 2025 EVOOs, selected from among 55 entries (40 conventional and 15 organic) from 45 companies across 35 municipalities: - ORO BAILÉN, by Aceites Oro Bailén Galgón 99 S.L. Villanueva de la Reina. - PICUALIA, by the Cooperativa Agrícola Virgen de Zocueca. Bailén. - JABALCUZ PREMIUM, by S.C.A. Sierra de la Pandera. Los Villares. - SEÑORÍO DE CAMARASA, by the Cooperativa Santa Isabel. Torres. - MELGAREJO, by Aceites Campoliva S.L. Pegalajar. - DOMINUS COSECHA TEMPRANA, by Monva. Mancha Real. - O.LIVE EXTRA VIRGIN OIL, by Hacienda Olivar de Santa María. Linares. - OLEÍCOLA JAÉN, by Oleícola Jaén. Baeza. Jaén Selección and the Michelin Stars: for the past five editions, the Diputación de Jaén has taken part as an official sponsor of the Michelin Gala, bringing the two brands together to showcase the distinctiveness of EVOO in national and international gastronomy.

The 22nd "Jaén, Paraíso Interior" International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Cooking Award aims to promote oils designated as "Jaén Selección" at national and international level, encouraging their consumption and positioning the province of Jaén as a benchmark for top-quality EVOO. Chefs currently working at a hospitality establishment at the time of application may take part. Registration is free, and only one recipe may be submitted per participant. A single prize of 8,000 euros is awarded. Recipes must include, in their preparation, one or more "Jaén Selección 2025" oils: Oro Bailén, Picualia, Jabalcuz Premium, Señorío de Camarasa, Melgarejo, Dominus Cosecha Temprana, Olive Extra Virgin Oil and Oleícola Jaén. Recent winners: 2024: Alex Paz (Fuentelgato). Spain 2023: Juan José Mesa (Radis). Spain 2022: Diana Díaz (El Invernadero de Rodrigo de la Calle). Spain 2021: Lucía Campos (Cancook). Spain 2020: Ingrid Serra (Tickets). Spain 2019: Lalo Reyes (Los Sentidos). Spain 2018: Daniel Rosado (Victor Trochi). Spain

The traditional Jaén First Oil Festival is held in November to celebrate the start of the olive-harvesting season across the Jaén region, promoting early-harvest extra virgin olive oils through culinary demonstrations, tastings, workshops, sampling sessions, talks, sales and activities for all audiences, including children. This eleventh edition, held in Andújar on 9 and 10 November, featured more than fifty initiatives: tastings of oils from Jaén's designations of origin and the 'Aceite de Jaén' PGI; guided tours and routes around Andújar; open days at museum venues; the photography exhibition 'Génesis', by María de los Ángeles Pérez; and olive oil tourism activities at the Hotel 'Oleum', the restaurant 'Refugio' and the 'Sierra Luna' rural accommodation. There were also musical and dance performances by the Pilar Algaba Dance Academy, Carmen Álvarez's flamenco group, Mario Moraga, Antonio Mena and the group Almoradú; a live cooking demonstration on 'the tapa on the oil-soaked "regañá" cracker'; and children's workshops centred on the olive tree and olive oil. The festival then moved to Sabadell from 15 to 17 November: Plaza Argub hosted the oil fair, featuring 35 olive oil companies and more than 3,000 visitors. It included tastings of Degusta Jaén products, flamenco shows, and performances by the folk group "Hijos de Bedmar en Cataluña" and the pilgrimage choir "Añoranza de mi Tierra". The Jaén First Oil Festival, a travelling event, was created in 2014. Previous host cities include Vitoria, Alcalá de Henares, Pamplona, Valencia, Vigo, Bilbao and Gijón.

Over two days, winemakers, producers and artisans will share their work in a festive atmosphere celebrating the town's identity. Tastings, guided wine tastings, culinary offerings and activities for all ages will fill the streets of Frailes, offering an experience that combines authenticity, tradition and the pride of a town that keeps its legacy alive.

This edition once again showcases the area's rich winemaking heritage and the gastronomic creativity that sets the region apart, inviting visitors to discover — or rediscover — a territory where every product tells a story and every gathering becomes a memory.