Meet Our World Cheese Award Winners!

42 countries. 3,804 entries. 260 judges. The World Cheese Awards is a monumental event in the cheese world, honoring cheesemakers big and small with awards ranging from Bronze to Super Gold based on the flavor, aroma, texture, and appearance of their cheeses. We are thrilled to have 21 of our supplier partners take home awards, and to share in celebrating over 30 awards for cheeses in our catalog. We’re proud of what these cheesemakers have accomplished and are so appreciative of their partnership over the years. We’ll take any opportunity to shout out their hard work, devotion, and creativity, so may we (re)introduce you to some of the winners:

Barbablu
Lombardia, Italy
A goat’s milk blue cheese made in the cremificato style, Barbablu is incredibly rich and scoopable like a super creamy gorgonzola dolce. It is delicately flavored, with a seductive sweetness accented by hints of spice. It is aged 60 days by Arnoldi in the Val Taleggio.

Mitica® Parmigiano Reggiano
Emilia Romagna, Italy
We at Forever Cheese pride ourselves on our selection of Mitica® Parmigiano Reggiano, so we are thrilled that one of our farms won a Super Gold and was named Best Italian Cheese. It even made it to the final round of judging, coming in just behind the World Champion Cheese.

Made in Parma, the mouthfeel is rich and slightly on the softer side, which is typical of the province. The flavor is delicate and complex, displaying fruitiness and a spectacular lingering sweetness balanced by savory umami. 18 farms contribute milk to the dairy; the milk supply is subject to strict quality standards and is consistently richer and fattier, resulting in a more flavorful cheese. Additionally, all Mitica® Parmigiano Reggiano is aged 24 months and marked EXPORT, which it receives only after additional rigorous testing.

Surfin’ Blu
Lombardia, Italy
A Blu di Bufala walks into a bar…
Bruno from Quattro Portoni takes select wheels of his buffalo milk blue and washes them with Surfin’ Hop beer, an IPA from Fidenza. The robust, hoppy flavor does wonders for the fudgy, sweet blue, creating a rich cheese with caramel notes and a funky aroma. Two of their other 100% buffalo milk cheeses, Porta Rocca (aged caciotta) and Quadrello® di Bufala (Taleggio-style), also won awards this year.

Los Cameros Mixed Milk Cheese
La Rioja, Spain
A sensational mixed milk cheese from the heart of Spanish wine country. This cheese is made with cow’s milk (min. 60%), sheep’s milk (min. 20%), and goat’s milk (min. 6%) from local farms. During its six months of aging, the rind is rubbed with olive oil, bringing out additional flavor and character. It stands out from other mixed milk cheeses with a peppery, vegetal aroma and well balanced, pleasant acidity, finishing with a long herbaceous kick.

Maxorata Curado with Pimentón
Fuerteventura, Spain
This DOP goat’s milk cheese from the Canary Islands is known as Queso Majorero. The milk, thick and aromatic, comes from the native Majorera goat and adds a long lasting toasted flavor to the cheese. The deeply nutty flavors pair magically with the smoky aroma from the paprika on the rind. Slightly elastic, it maintains a creamy mouthfeel. Alisios®, from the same producer, made with both cow and goat’s milk, won a bronze award.

Capricho de Cabra
Murcia, Spain
One of our classics, this fresh goat cheese is creamy and lush, not chalky and dry like some chèvres, thanks to Murciana goat’s milk. The milk from the region’s native goats is known for being richer, sweeter, and smoother with little to no gaminess. The version coated with fine herbs also won, taking home a bronze.

Garrotxa Sant Gil d’Albió
Catalunya, Spain
Representative of its region, Garrotxa is a full-bodied goat’s milk cheese with a suede-like grey rind. We’ve been working with Josep for nearly two decades and his particular version of the cheese has great depth and balance of flavor with brightness from the fresh milk, which comes from local farms near his village of Albió. It has only gotten better year after year.

Manchego El Trigal® 6 Month
Castilla La Mancha, Spain
This Manchego has won countless awards over the 20 years we have imported it, and for good reason. Our friends at Quesos Corcuera make this buttery, brightly flavored cheese with just the right amount of chewiness. It really is an exemplary version of the most famous sheep’s milk cheese from central Spain. Their Raw Milk Manchego, aged 8 months, won a bronze award.

Montealva
Andalucia, Spain
Made from the milk of native Payoya goats, this cheese comes from the foothills of Cádiz. The goats graze on the limestone-rich pastures and produce flavorful, fatty milk that makes this such a fantastic and unique cheese with distinct terroir. A well-balanced acidity, reminiscent of yogurt and lemon, opens into notes of walnut. Semi-soft and crumbly, it melts in the mouth.

The World Cheese Awards, organized by the Guild of Fine Food, is the largest cheese-only competition in the world. No other dairy (including butter, yogurt, cream, etc.) is included. This year marked the 32nd edition of the competition and the 4th year that Forever Cheese has sponsored the award for Best Spanish Cheese.