canary islands cheeses cincho cheese awards 2026

Five Canary Islands cheeses triumph at Cincho Cheese Awards 2026

Canary Islands cheeses shine at Spain’s most prestigious awards

Five cheeses from the Canary Islands have been recognised at the 2026 Cincho Cheese Awards, one of Spain’s most esteemed competitions in the sector. This year, judges assessed 1,300 entries from 18 different countries, awarding a total of 117 prizes. The Canary Islands secured four Cinchos de Oro (Gold) and one Cincho de Plata (Silver) across various categories.

The golden winners from the islands

The Gold awards went to: Arquegran Agüimes Semicurado, made by Arquegran Agüimes from Gran Canaria, in the category for enzyme-coagulated cow’s milk cheese; Era del Cardón Curado, produced by Luis Martel Perdomo from Gran Canaria, in the raw goat’s milk category; and two cheeses from Félix Alberto Gil Rodríguez of La Palma: Granja Las Cuevas Oveja Viejo Pimentón and Granja Las Cuevas Mezcla Viejo Pimentón, which won in the categories for aged raw sheep’s milk and aged mixed-milk cheese respectively.

Silver success for Fuerteventura

The Canary Islands medal tally was completed with a Silver Cincho for Maxorata Curado con Pimentón, made by Grupo Ganaderos de Fuerteventura, in the pasteurised goat’s milk category.

Government praise for artisan producers

Narvay Quintero, the Canary Islands’ Minister for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty, said the awards recognise “the effort, professionalism and knowledge of our producers, who preserve a cheesemaking tradition closely linked to the land, the island livestock breeds, and artisan production methods based on authenticity and excellence.”

Top honours and international competition

This year, the three Grandes Cinchos de Oro – the competition’s highest honour – went to Colette Nature from SAS Fromages Bach (France); Granoro Cabra from Rueda Cheesemonger in Valladolid, Spain; and Rogue River Bleu from Rogue Creamery in the United States. Meanwhile, the Excellence Awards were presented to Queso Mucientes Curado from Quesería Artesana de Mucientes (Valladolid), named Best Artisan Cheese of Castile and León; and Vasco Navarra from Quesos La Vasco Navarra (Navarra), recognised as Spain’s Best Sheep’s Milk Cheese. The Best Organic Cheese prize was awarded ex aequo to Montes de Alcalá from Quesería El Gazul in Cádiz, and Old Wanczyk from Poland’s Wanczykowka cheesery.

A panel of international experts

In this edition – the twelfth national and sixth international – the tasting panel comprised 69 experts from various countries and regions across Spain, including Canary Islands representative Ruth Lozano. The jury awarded a total of 117 prizes, divided into 67 Gold and 50 Silver Cinchos. Of all the awards, 73.5 per cent went to Spanish cheeses, with the remainder going to international producers. France and Italy each won seven prizes, followed by Poland with six, making them the most successful foreign nations.

Sheep’s milk cheeses dominate the national tally

Sheep’s milk cheeses featured prominently in the national results: of the 86 awards given to Spanish cheeses, 37 went to sheep’s milk products, representing 43 per cent of the total.

A biennial competition with a rich history

The awards were organised by the Agricultural Technology Institute of Castile and León (ITACyL), with the final stage held in Valladolid from 2 to 4 June. The Cincho Awards were first launched by the Regional Government of Castile and León in the year 2000, with the aim of creating a national competition celebrating the excellence of Spanish cheesemaking. Now with more than 25 years of history, the event has undergone several modernisation and adaptation processes, including an updated evaluation system and its expansion to an international format. Held every two years, the competition has grown steadily to become a prestigious symbol of quality and global cheese promotion.

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