Queijo de Ovelha Amanteigado from Portugal was named the best of the best, beating out Jasper Hill, Mifroma, and more.
The jury has spoken: On November 15, 2024, a Portuguese cheese won on its home turf at the World Cheese Awards in Viseu, Portugal.
Queijo de Ovelha Amanteigado, a soft, raw sheep’s milk cheese with a washed rind and thistle rennet by Quinta do Pomar in Soalheira, Portugal, took home the top prize. Quinta do Pomar is a small producer with only 10 employees; the village of Soalheira has fewer than 1,000 residents as of 2021, according to census data. The cheese has a buttery and mild flavor profile.
Cheesemaker Sonia Marroyo, of Quinto do Pomar, said, “This is a very emotional win for us, the creation of this cheese came from a lot of teamwork and dedication.”
The cheese was judged against 4,786 competing cheeses from 47 countries and by 240 judges from 40 countries. The judges, split into groups of two or three, were assigned a table of roughly 45 cheeses. Each cheese on the table was judged blind until a winning cheese was selected. The winner proceeded to a super jury of international cheese experts.
104 cheeses went on to the super jury this year for further evaluation. In the final judging round, super jury experts picked one cheese to champion—a “Super Gold” cheese—thereby whittling down the number of top cheeses to 14. The 14 cheeses were subsequently debated in front of a live audience, before the final winner was crowned.
The Top 14 Cheeses
- Queijo de Ovelha Amanteigado from Quinto do Pomar, 86 points
- Tea Fondada from Chascharia Val Müstair, Switzerland, 84 points
- Alpenhorn Mifroma from Elsa Group (Mifroma), Switzerland, 84 points
- La Cava Barus García-Baquero, Lacteas Garcia Baquero S.A., Spain, 84 points
- Bayley Hazen Blue from Cellars at Jasper Hill, USA, 83 points
- Pecorino Bislacco al Rum e Tabacco from F.lli Petrucci, Italy, 82 points
- Blugins from La Casearia Carpenedo, Italy, 82 points
- Affineur Walo Creamy Lion Cheese from Thurgau from Walo von Mühlenen, Switzerland, 82 points
- Passionata from Biopark, Brazil, 81 points
- Snertingdal ysteri Godbiten from Snertingdal ysteri drift AS, Norway, 79 points
- Alte Hexe 9 Monate gereift from Bodensee Käse, Switzerland, 78 points
- Valleclaro from Quesos y Besos, Spain, 77 points
- Baldauf 1862 Meisterstück Alpkäse from Baldauf Käse, Germany, 75 points
- Tatie from Latteria Moro di Moro Sergio, Italy, 72 points
Super Gold American cheeses for 2024 include:
- Bayley Hazen Blue from Cellars at Jasper Hill
- Humboldt Fog from Cypress Grove
- Jack’s Blue from Parish Hill Creamery
- Mad River Blue from von Trapp Farmstead
- Marieke Gouda Reserve from Holland’s Family Cheese, DBA Marieke Gouda
- Mt. Alice from von Trapp Farmstead
- nightshade from Tulip Tree Creamery
- Truffle Shuffle from Wegmans
“The Portuguese cheesemakers have done their country proud. Our World Champion cheese is typical of the central region of Portugal, extraordinary in the fact that it is made with cardo (thistle rennet) rather than conventional rennet. It is testament to the fact that perhaps cheese is best enjoyed close to its home, embracing the terroir,” said John Farrand, the managing director of the Guild of Fine Food, which organizes the World Cheese Awards. “There’s a lovely twist in that the cheesemaker, Sonia, is Chilean, living and making cheese in Portugal.”
Click here to check out the complete results from this year’s competition.
Alana Pedalino
Alana Pedalino's work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Bon Appétit, and The Buffalo News. She's currently serving as culture's social media manager. She loves to write poetry, eat spaghetti carbonara, and kayak. Follow her @APstyle on X. Read more by her here: https://alanapedalino.com/#/.
