Sparta Gourmet vs Sparta Premiere: Which Olive Oil Is Right for You?
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Both oils come from the same grove. The same Koroneiki trees on the same Laconian hillsides, tended by the same Georgiou family whose history in this valley predates modern Greece by several generations. And yet Sparta Gourmet and Sparta Premiere are fundamentally different products, made for different moments in the kitchen.
This guide exists because the question comes up often: which one do I need? The answer is usually both — but for different reasons.
Where they come from: the Georgiou family grove, Laconia
Laconia sits in the southern Peloponnese, wedged between the Taygetos and Parnon mountain ranges. The ancient Spartans built their civilization here, and the olive groves that fed them have never really stopped producing. The Georgiou family has farmed this specific terrain for over 100 years, and the conditions they work with — stony, well-drained soil, hot dry summers, cold winters — are precisely the conditions that push Koroneiki trees to concentrate phenolic compounds rather than simply produce volume.
That’s the terroir foundation for both oils. The difference between Gourmet and Premiere is what happens after the olives are harvested.
Sparta Gourmet: the everyday workhorse
Sparta Gourmet is a cold-pressed, 100% Koroneiki extra virgin olive oil from Laconia. It is pressed within 24 hours of harvest and arrives in every bottle as a genuinely high-quality EVOO — bold, peppery, low in acidity, with polyphenol counts in the 350–500 mg/kg range depending on harvest year.
The Sparta Gourmet line has earned recognition at seven major international blind-tasting competitions: Silver at the Berlin Global Olive Oil Awards 2022 (specifically for high polyphenol content), Silver at the NYIOOC (New York International Olive Oil Competition), Silver at the London Olive Oil Awards 2021, plus four new 2026 medals — a Gold Medal at the Olive Japan International Olive Oil Competition, a Silver Medal (Quality category) at the London International Olive Oil Competition, a Silver Medal at the Athena International Olive Oil Competition, and a Silver Medal at the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition. These awards reflect the oil on its own merits, tasted blind against international competition.
It is the oil you reach for constantly. Roasting vegetables. Finishing a bowl of lentils. Making a vinaigrette. Sautéing aromatics at the start of a braise. Dipping bread. Drizzling over hummus before guests arrive. It performs well under moderate heat, which is more than can be said for most supermarket EVOOs, and it has enough character to taste like something on its own.
It comes in a 500ml bottle for lighter users and a 3-liter tin for households that cook Mediterranean food seriously. The 3L tin is the better value and keeps well sealed in a cool cupboard.
Sparta Premiere: the certified high-phenolic finishing oil
Sparta Premiere is a different category of product. It is produced from the same grove but pressed from olives harvested at an earlier stage of ripeness — deep green, before the fruit softens — which is when Koroneiki trees reach peak phenolic expression. The result is an oil that is more intensely bitter and peppery than Gourmet, with measurably higher levels of the specific compounds responsible for those qualities.
Specifically: the World Olive Center for Health in Athens tested the 2025 harvest and certified Sparta Premiere at 522 mg/kg total polyphenols (Certificate No. C2526-00733, 16 February 2026), including 176 mg/kg oleocanthal and 117 mg/kg oleacein. A 20g serving delivers approximately 10.4 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives — more than double the EU Regulation 432/2012 threshold of 5 mg per 20g.
Premiere is a finishing oil. You do not cook with it. You pour it over finished dishes — a drizzle on grilled fish just before serving, over a warm bowl of white beans, on tomatoes with sea salt, over PDO feta with a crack of black pepper. You add it to a salad dressing where it will not be heated. You eat a spoonful of it in the morning if you want the full phenolic impact intact.
Applying heat to Premiere is not dangerous — polyphenols make an oil more stable at heat, not less — but it defeats the purpose of paying for a certified 522 mg/kg oil. The compounds you are buying degrade under sustained heat. Keep Premiere cold and raw.
Side by side
| Sparta Gourmet | Sparta Premiere | |
|---|---|---|
| Variety | 100% Koroneiki | 100% Koroneiki |
| Origin | Georgiou family grove, Laconia | Georgiou family grove, Laconia |
| Harvest timing | Standard early harvest | Extra early green harvest |
| Polyphenols | ~350–500 mg/kg (harvest-dependent) | 522 mg/kg certified (C2526-00733) |
| Awards | Berlin GOOA Silver 2022 (High Polyphenol), NYIOOC Silver, London Silver 2021, Olive Japan 2026 Gold, London IOOC 2026 Silver (Quality), Athena 2026 Silver, NYIOOC 2026 Silver | Certified by World Olive Center for Health |
| Best use | Cooking, dressing, dipping, everyday | Finishing, raw, direct consumption |
| Format | 500ml bottle · 3L tin | 500ml bottle |
| Character | Bold, peppery, well-balanced | Intensely bitter, assertive, complex |
Do you need both?
Most serious home cooks end up keeping both. The 3L Gourmet tin lives next to the stove and gets used daily for everything from eggs to salad dressing. The Premiere 500ml sits on the table and comes out for finishing — particularly when the food is important, when guests are eating, or when you want to taste what Laconian olive oil actually is without heat standing between you and it.
If you are buying one oil for the first time: start with Sparta Gourmet 500ml. It is the right everyday oil and the best introduction to what single-estate Laconian Koroneiki tastes like.
If you already cook with Gourmet and want to understand the polyphenol question properly — what certified 522 mg/kg actually means, why it matters, and how to verify it — read our guide to olive oil polyphenol content, then come back for the Premiere.