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Six Canarian cheeses aspire to become the best in Spain during the 38 Gourmets Show that starts this Monday in Madrid
The Government of the Canary Islands, through ICCA, Proexca, GMR Canarias and the General Directorate of Fisheries, in collaboration with the seven island councils, support participation in the 38 Gourmets Salon, International Fair of Quality Food and Beverages of a hundred companies in the agri-food sector of the archipelago, that display and promote their products- Wines, cheeses, mojos, jams, almogrotes, remembered, cider, cafés, oils, sea salts or craft beers, among others- through more than thirty activities: commented tastings, workshops, presentations, culinary demonstrations and tastings.
And precisely the Canarian cheese will once again be the protagonist since six Canarian cheeses will compete to become the best in the country in the 'Championship of the Best Cheeses in Spain 2025', for which one hundred finalists have been classified among the 895 creations presented to the contest. In addition to competing for the award for the best cheese in Spain, which since the last edition has been held by Don Nicolás, from Finca de Uga (Lanzarote), The six Canarian finalists opt to be recognized with one of the 60 medals awarded by the Gourmetquesos jury.
Of the six Canarian cheeses that go to the final, two are among the five best in the raw milk young goat section and, two others, in the semi-cured mix category. Besides, The Canary Islands have a representative in the cured blended cheese section, and another in the goat cured pasteurized milk category. To compete for the award for the best cheese in Spain, participants must be chosen as winners in their respective section., he 7 of April, before moving on to the final round where twenty cheeses compete, only one from each category.
Both cheeses and wines, mojos, remembered, sea salts, cider, oils and other products from the agri-food sector of the archipelago will be present at the 38th edition of the Gorumets Hall in Madrid, the main quality food and beverage fair in Europe, through its own exhibitor stand with an area aimed at holding professional meetings and promotional activities. 420 Square meters, thanks to the support of the Government of the Canary Islands through the Canary Institute of Agri-Food Quality (ICCA), GMR Canarias, Proexca, and together with the Cabildos.
In this sense, the director of the ICCA, Luis Arraez Guadalupe, pointed out that “Participation in this fair is part of the promotional actions to reinforce the consumption of products from our primary sector and constitutes well-deserved recognition of the work of the people behind these productions.”.
On the other hand, he highlighted the outstanding presence of elaborations from the archipelago in the 'Championship of the Best Cheeses in Spain 2025', “with a total of 58 registered samples, almost a 7% of the 895 cheeses presented in a national competition, which, Together with the numerous recognitions garnered both in this competition and in others at a national and international level, it places the Canary Islands as a world power in the production of cheese of differentiated quality.”.
The competition jury made up of 64 tasters established in the previous phase of the contest, held last week at the Higher School of Hospitality and Tourism of Madrid, who will advance to the final round, in the semi-cured mix category, Arquegran Agüimes cheese, in Gran Canaria, and the Selectum Paprika, of the Fuerteventura Livestock Farmers Group, which also participates with the Maxorata cured with paprika (DOP Majorero Cheese) as a finalist in the pasteurized cured goat category.
Besides, in the young goat raw milk section, Las Cuevas were selected (DOP Cheese from La Palma), by Félix Alberto Gil Rodríguez, and the development of Ganadería La Pared (DOP Majorero cheese). In addition, in the cured mixture category, The tasting panel chose the production of Lomo Gallego Fresh Cheeses, in Gran Canaria.
Finally, through the parallel contest organized by ICEX Spain Exportation and Investment, Participants can opt for the 'Cheese from Spain Awards' award.’ to the product with the greatest export potential, as well as one of the ten Gold awards, and the special Champion Gold award for the cheese chosen by an absolute majority by the international jury.
