Spanish Cheeses to Know Before the World Cheese Awards in Córdoba

This year the World Cheese Awards are part of the International Cheese Festival in Córdoba, Spain, which runs from 12 to 15 November 2026. The exact venue, judging day and results timings are set by the organiser, the Guild of Fine Food, so check there for confirmed details.

With the competition on Spanish soil, the country's cheeses will get extra attention. Many of the best known carry a Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP, or PDO in English). That status ties a cheese to a defined area, specific milk and set methods. These four are a good place to start.

Manchego

Origin: La Mancha, in Castilla-La Mancha
Milk: Sheep, from the Manchega breed only, either pasteurised or raw
Status: PDO

Manchego is Spain's best-known cheese and a useful benchmark. You can spot it by the rind. It carries a zigzag pattern traditionally pressed in by the esparto-grass moulds that held the curd, and a flower-like imprint on the top and bottom. The paste is ivory to pale straw, firm, and dotted with small, irregular holes.

Young Manchego is mild, milky and slightly tangy. With age it becomes drier and more crumbly, and the flavour moves towards toasted nuts, browned butter and a lingering sheep's-milk richness. In Spain it is sold by maturity, from semicurado (younger, more supple) to curado and viejo (well aged, firm and intense). If you want to see the full range of what the cheese can do, taste two ages side by side.

How to taste it: Cut the wedge into thin triangles, leaving the rind on as a handle, but don't eat the rind. Serve with membrillo (quince paste) and a glass of Tempranillo. A chilled fino sherry is also a good match, because its salty edge suits the nuttiness of an older cheese.

Idiazábal

Origin: The Basque Country and Navarra
Milk: Raw sheep's milk from Latxa and Carranzana sheep
Status: PDO

Idiazábal comes from shepherding country in the green, wet north. It is aged for at least two months. The cheese is pressed and firm, with a hard, pale rind and a compact interior. The flavour is fuller than Manchego and slightly piquant, with a buttery, sheepy depth.

Some wheels are smoked, a habit linked to farmhouses where cheeses were kept near the hearth. Smoked Idiazábal has a darker, amber rind and a gentle woodsmoke note. Unsmoked versions show off the milk more clearly. Each has its fans, and judges will be weighing balance either way: you want the smoke to sit alongside the milk, not bury it.

How to taste it: Slice it a little thicker than Manchego. Try it with Basque cider or a crisp, lightly sparkling Txakoli. Walnuts and quince both work well alongside.

Cabrales

Origin: Asturias, in the Picos de Europa mountains
Milk: Raw cow's milk, sometimes blended with goat's and/or sheep's milk
Status: PDO

Cabrales is Spain's great blue cheese, and it does not hold back. It ripens for at least two months in natural limestone caves, where the cool, damp air helps the blue veining develop. The paste is creamy yet crumbly, ranging from ivory to heavily marbled blue-green. The flavour is sharp, spicy and salty, with a long finish.

If you are used to milder blues, start with a small piece. Cabrales lingers on the palate, and its intensity is the point.

How to taste it: Crumble it or spread it rather than slicing it. Taste it with a drizzle of honey, or with a sweet wine such as Pedro Ximénez or Oloroso dulce, whose sweetness softens the spice. Off the board, Cabrales melts into a classic Asturian sauce for steak: warm it gently with a splash of cream until smooth.

Torta del Casar

Origin: Province of Cáceres, Extremadura
Milk: Raw sheep's milk from Merino and Entrefina sheep
Status: PDO

Torta del Casar is set with rennet made from thistle (cardoon) flowers, not animal rennet. That gives the cheese its texture and its gently bitter edge. It ages for at least 60 days. During that time the inside breaks down into a soft, spoonable cream, held in by a thin, firm rind. Ripe wheels can bulge a little at the sides.

The flavour is rich, savoury and creamy, with a slight bitterness and a sheepy tang. It is one of the most distinctive cheeses Spain makes.

How to serve it:

1. Take it out of the fridge two to three hours ahead so the inside softens fully.
2. Use a sharp knife to cut a circle around the top of the rind, just inside the edge.
3. Lift off the top like a lid.
4. Scoop the paste out with a spoon, or with crusty bread or picos (small Spanish breadsticks).

Put the lid back on to cover any leftovers.

How to run your own tasting

Set out all four and taste them as the judges would: by appearance, aroma, texture and flavour, then the finish.

• Order: Start with the mildest and work up. Young Manchego first, then aged Manchego, Idiazábal, Torta del Casar, and Cabrales last, so the blue doesn't overwhelm the others.
• Temperature: Take the hard cheeses out about an hour before serving. Fridge-cold cheese tastes muted.
• Palate cleansers: Plain bread or water crackers, with still water between cheeses.
• Look and smell first: Check the rind, the colour of the paste and the aroma before you taste. A good Manchego smells of sheep's milk and nuts. Cabrales should smell pungent and clean, not ammoniated.

Storing them afterwards

Wrap cut hard cheeses such as Manchego and Idiazábal in waxed or cheese paper, then place them loosely in a bag. Keep them in the salad drawer of the fridge, where they will hold well for a few weeks. Wrap Cabrales separately so its aroma doesn't spread, and eat it within a week or two. Once opened, Torta del Casar is best finished within a few days. If you see a small amount of surface mould on a hard cheese, you can trim it off. Throw away a soft cheese if it shows mould that wasn't there when you bought it.

When the results come out of Córdoba, you will know how each of these cheeses should taste and look. You will also have your own notes to compare with the judges' verdicts.