RESULTS OF THE CONTEST CHEESES OF PORTUGAL 2018

The ceremony of announcement and delivery of the prizes of the 10th 'Cheese Contest of Portugal', of ANIL - National Association of Industrial Dairy, was held on October 29, in the frame of the event 'Great Choices Wines & Flavors 2018'. Of the 208 cheeses that were in the Contest, 22 will have the label 'Best Cheese Award 2018 - Contest Cheeses of Portugal' and 44 were awarded with a 'Honorable Mention'. The number of winning products is the same as that of the categories, since ANIL decided, this year, to include a new category: 'New Fresh Flavors'.

The result of this challenge comes from a rigorous, objective and technical analysis made by 21 jurors to 208 references of 100% Portuguese cheese production. The jury was composed of representatives of the cheese industry, the control and certification bodies, educational institutions, catering and gastronomy, from distribution and the media.

Queijaria Guilherme and Queijo Santiago are the great winners of the 'Contest Cheeses of Portugal 2018', by collecting, each one, two 'Best Cheese Awards 2018'. Queijaria Guilherme won, in addition to the best 'Fresh Cheese Atabafado' and the best cheese of 'Sheep Cure Prolonged', a double 'Honorable Mention' in the category of 'Cheep Cottage'.

The Saloio Cheese won this year – repeating the praise of the last two years, 2016 and 2017 – in the categories of 'Normal Cure Mixture' (Three Churches Traditional Saloio) and 'Prolonged Cure Mixture' (Three Churches Cura Prolongada Saloio), apart from the two 'Honorable Mentions' in the categories of 'Coat Cottage' (Saloio Coat Cottage) and Cow Normal Cure (Alvão Traditional Saloio).

In turn, Tété II - Dairy Products received the 'Best Cheese Award 2018' in the category 'Cow Cottage', with four 'Honorable Mentions' in 'Fresh Sheep Cheese', 'Fresh Goat Cheese', 'Goat's Cottage' and 'Mixture Cottage'. Insulac - Azorean Dairy Products is also in the same position, since it won the winner seal for Valformoso Herbs and Garlic in the category 'To Smear’ (Para Barrar), in which it received one of the three Honorable Mentions, with 'Valformoso', being the others divided into the categories of Flamengo (Navegador) and 'Cow Normal Cure' (Valformoso Natural).

According to the analysis made during this first decade, it is worth to note the evident exponential growth. Of the 57 cheeses from 27 companies registered in five categories in 2009, the number increased to 208 cheeses from 57 companies divided by 22 categories in 2018. It is worth to add the new category of 'New Fresh Flavors'.

Nevertheless, it is notorious the interest of the manufacturers of national cheeses, in showing the increasing improvement of the quality of this product made from Portuguese milk.

On the other hand, the commitment to promote the development of the dairy industry, with a view to improve the positioning of Portuguese cheeses in the market and, at the same time, reinforcing the recognition, as well as the knowledge, regarding this specific product within the consumer – goals advocated by ANIL during these ten years of the 'Contest Cheeses of Portugal' - has been bearing fruit.

Cow Fresh Cheese: Lactifeita (Lactifeita)

Sheep Fresh Cheese: Vitor Fernandes - Queijaria Artesanal (Vitor Fernandes - Queijaria Artesanal)

Coat Fresh Cheese: Moser (Tózé dos Queijos)

Mixture Fresh Cheese: Queijaria Licínia (Queijaria da Licínia)

Fresh Cheese Atabafado: Guilherme (Queijaria Guilherme)

Cow Cottage: Tété (Tété II - Produtos Lácteos)

Cheep Cottage: Queijaria Sapata (Sapata e Filha)

Coata Cottage: Queijo Bilores (Bilores - Queijo Artesanal)

Mixture Cottage: Prado da Sicó (Queijaria Prado da Sicó)

Flamengo: Trevo (Lacticínios Halos)

Cow Normal Cure: Milhafre (Pronicol - Produtos Lácteos)

Cow Prolonged Cure: A Queijaria Apimentada (Lacticínios MAF)

Island: São Miguel, 9 M Cura (Unileite - União Cooperativas Agrícolas de Lacticínios da Ilha de São Miguel)

Sheep Normal Cure: Flor da Beira Amanteigado Selecção (Queijaria Flor da Beira)

Sheep Prolonged Cure: Guilherme (Queijaria Guilherme)

Coat Normal Cure: Quinta dos Moinhos Novos (Lactimercados)

Coat Prolonged Cure: Cancela Aberta Santiago (Queijos Santiago)

Mixture Normal Cure: Três Igrejas Tradicional Saloio (Queijo Saloio)

Mixture Prolonged Cure: Three Churches Prolonged Cure Saloio (Cheese Saloio)

To Smear: Valformoso Herbs and Garlic (Insulac - Produtos Lácteos Açoreanos)

New Fresh Flavors: Herdade da Maia Requeijão de Ovelha com Doce de Abóbora (Sociedade Industrial Herdade da Maia)

You can consult th complete list HERE