What does virgin olive oil mean?

Virgin olive oil is, within the virgin olive oils, the second of them in quality, behind the extra virgin olive oil, and in front of lampante virgin olive oil. 

1) Requirements to classify an olive oil as "virgin olive oil"

For its classification as virgin olive oil it must meet two conditions: 

1.- its acidity must be less than or equal to 2º. 

2.- In a tasting test, the median of the defect must be less than or equal to 2.5 and the median of the fruity must be more than zero. 

Like extra virgin olive oil, the legislation includes additional chemical requirements, mainly focused on the detection of fraud through blends with other oils. 

In reference to the constraints of the tasting, the "translation" in a simple way would be to say that virgin olive oil may have a low intensity defect and must have fruity aromas and flavors. If you want to know exactly how to determine the médium values, you can see our post about of extra virgin oil. 

2) Labelling:

Virgin olive oils shall bear on their labels the following information: 

"Olive oil obtained directly from olives and only by mechanical means."