Walk down any grocery store aisle and you’ll find dozens of olive oil bottles competing for your attention with Italian flags, gold medallions, words like “pure,” “light,” and “natural” printed in elegant fonts. The problem? Most of those signals mean nothing. Knowing how to choose olive oil that’s actually worth cooking with comes down to a handful of real indicators that most shoppers never learn to read. This guide changes that.

Why Choosing the Right Olive Oil Actually Matters

Industry testing has repeatedly found that a significant portion of olive oil sold as “extra virgin” in US supermarkets doesn’t meet the standard. It’s old, oxidized, or simply mislabeled. The difference between a genuine high-quality olive oil and a poor one isn’t just flavor, it’s everything the oil is supposed to deliver in the first place.

Knowing what to look for in olive oil before you buy protects you from spending money on a product that’s already past its prime before it even reaches your kitchen.

Start Here: Understanding Olive Oil Grades

Before anything else, you need to understand what the grades actually mean because what type of olive oil is best depends entirely on what you’re using it for.

Olive oil grades and their best uses

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
 How it’s made: Cold-pressed, no heat or chemicals, zero defects.
 Best use: Dressings, finishing and everyday cooking.

Virgin Olive Oil
 How it’s made: Mechanically pressed, minor defects allowed.
 Best use: Everyday cooking.

Pure / Classic Olive Oil
 How it’s made: Refined and virgin olive oil.
 Best use: High-heat cooking.

Light Olive Oil
 How it’s made: Heavily refined, neutral flavor.
 Best use: High-heat cooking and baking.

Extra virgin is the only grade that retains the full flavor, aroma and natural compounds of the olive. Everything below it has been refined, which means something was removed. If you’re asking how to choose the best olive oil for flavor and quality, the answer is always EVOO.

You might also like: The Impressive Health Benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

What to Look For in Olive Oil: Reading the Label Correctly

Most shoppers scan an olive oil label in three seconds and grab whatever looks most Mediterranean. That’s exactly what low-quality producers are counting on. Knowing what to look for in olive oil before you reach the shelf changes the whole equation. These four things are all that actually matter.

Harvest Date

This is the single most important number on the bottle and the one most brands don’t want you to look for. A best-by date tells you when the store wants you to buy it. A harvest date tells you when the olives were actually pressed and the oil was made.

Fresh extra virgin olive oil is at its best within 12 months of harvest and still good up to 18 months. Anything beyond that is past its peak, regardless of what the best-by date says. If there’s no harvest date on the bottle, that alone tells you something about how to pick a good olive oil and this one isn’t it.

Country of Origin Should Be Specific, Not Vague

“Packed in Italy” is not the same as “Product of Italy.” The first tells you where the oil was bottled. The second tells you where the olives were grown. These are completely different things, and the industry relies on most consumers not knowing that.

 

Part of knowing what to look for when buying olive oil is understanding the origin information provided on the label. Look for the specific country or countries of origin declared on the packaging, rather than relying only on where the oil was packed or bottled. Olive oils may come from a single origin or be carefully blended from oils sourced from different countries, so multiple declared origins are not in themselves an indication of lower quality.

Packaging

Light exposure can affect olive oil quality over time, particularly Extra Virgin Olive Oil, whose flavor and naturally occurring compounds are more sensitive to light. Dark glass, tin or opaque packaging can therefore help protect EVOO from prolonged light exposure. Refined olive oils have already undergone a refining process and are less sensitive in this respect, so clear packaging is not necessarily an indication of lower quality. Whatever the type of olive oil, storing it away from direct light and heat helps preserve its quality.

Certifications

Independent certification is the closest thing to a guarantee you’ll find on a supermarket shelf. Look for PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), PGI (Protected Geographical Indication), or seals from bodies like the California Olive Oil Council (COOC) or the North American Olive Oil Association (NAOOA). These indicate the oil has been tested against defined chemical and sensory standards by someone other than the producer. When you’re figuring out how to choose olive oil and the label gives you nothing else to go on, a recognized certification is the most reliable signal you have.

What Olive Oil to Use for Cooking and Why It Matters More Than You Think

For the vast majority of home cooking, knowing what olive oil to use for cooking is simpler than the industry makes it seem, but only if you understand what each grade actually does. Not all olive oils behave the same way in the kitchen, and reaching for the wrong one can cost you both flavor and money.

Here’s how each grade breaks down in practice:

  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is cold-pressed, no heat or chemicals, zero defects. The highest quality grade and the most versatile. Use it for dressings, finishing dishes and everyday cooking up to 400°F. Bertolli® Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the bottle that earns a permanent spot on your counter.
  • Virgin olive oil is mechanically pressed with minor defects allowed. A solid everyday cooking oil when you want the flavor of olive oil without reaching for your best EVOO.
  • Pure / Classic Olive Oil is a blend of refined and virgin olive oil, offering a more neutral flavor and making it a versatile option for cooking, including higher-temperature applications.
  • Light Olive Oil is heavily refined with a neutral flavor and the highest smoke point of the four. Best reserved for sustained high-heat frying or baking where you want zero olive oil flavor in the final dish.

The takeaway: what type of olive oil is best depends entirely on the job. For most of what happens in a home kitchen, EVOO is the answer. The other grades exist for the edge cases and knowing which is which means you’re never overspending or undercooking.

Up next: Easy Pasta Recipes: 5 Easy Pasta Recipes with Bertolli Olive Oil

How to Pick a Good Olive Oil. The Sensory Test

Labels only go so far. If you ever get the chance to taste before you buy,  at a specialty store, a farmers market or an olive oil tasting, here’s how to pick a good olive oil by what’s actually in the bottle:

  • It should smell fresh. Good EVOO smells like green olives, fresh-cut grass, tomato leaf or almonds depending on the variety. Crayons, old nuts or nothing at all means it’s rancid or refined.
  • It should have a peppery finish. That slight burn at the back of your throat isn’t a flaw, it’s a sign of naturally occurring polyphenols. No pepper, less quality.
  • It should taste complex. Bitter and peppery are good words. Flat, greasy or tasteless are not.

Red Flags to Avoid

Knowing how to choose olive oil is as much about what to avoid as what to look for. Watch out for:

  • Bottles with no harvest date and a best-by date that’s 3+ years out
  • Labels that say “blend of EU olive oils” with no specific origin
  • Unusually low prices for a bottle claiming to be extra virgin
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil exposed to prolonged direct light, particularly when sold in clear packaging
  • Vague or unsupported quality claims that are not clearly explained by the information provided on the label

None of these are automatic disqualifiers, but any two or three together on the same bottle should give you pause.

Why Bertolli® Extra Virgin Olive Oil Meets the Standard

Bertolli has been producing olive oil since 1865, long enough to understand what quality actually requires at scale. Bertolli® Extra Virgin Olive Oil is cold-pressed, minimally processed and selected to meet the chemical and sensory standards that define the extra virgin grade. In 2025 and 2026, it was voted the most trusted olive oil brand by American consumers in the BrandSpark® American Trust Study. Not because of the label design, but because the oil inside the bottle consistently delivers.

When you’re deciding how to choose the best olive oil for your kitchen, trust that has been built over a century and a half is a meaningful signal. Explore the full Bertolli® Extra Virgin Olive Oil range and find the variety that fits how you cook.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most important thing to look for when buying olive oil?

The single most important indicator when deciding what to look for in olive oil is the harvest date. Unlike a best-by date, a harvest date tells you exactly when the olives were pressed and therefore how fresh the oil actually is. Extra virgin olive oil is best consumed within 18 months of harvest. If a bottle doesn’t show a harvest date, that alone is reason to look for another option.

What type of olive oil is best for everyday cooking?

Extra virgin olive oil is the best choice for the vast majority of everyday cooking. When considering what olive oil to use for cooking, EVOO handles sautéing, roasting, pan sauces and dressings without issue. Its smoke point (around 375–405°F) covers most home cooking scenarios, and its flavor adds a layer that refined oils simply can’t match.

How can you tell if olive oil is good quality without tasting it?

Check the label for key information such as the harvest date, the specific country or countries of origin declared, appropriate packaging and any relevant quality certifications. For Extra Virgin Olive Oil in particular, packaging that helps limit prolonged exposure to light can provide additional protection. Together, these details can help you make a more informed choice before opening the bottle.

How should olive oil be stored to maintain quality?

Store olive oil in a cool, dark place, for example a kitchen cabinet away from the stove. Avoid clear bottles left on the counter in direct light, and keep the bottle sealed when not in use. Heat, light and air are the three main factors that degrade olive oil quality over time. A properly stored bottle of Bertolli® Extra Virgin Olive Oil maintains its flavor and quality for up to 18–24 months unopened.

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