NOTICIAS
NUESTRO DÍA A DÍA

The Regulatory Council of the Protected Denomination of Origin of cheese Mahón-Menorca convened the “XX CHEESE CONTEST MAHON-MENORCA D.O.P.”

This annual call began in 2001, at the initiative of the Insular Council of Menorca, with the aim of supporting the cheese sector and promoting recognition of the work that is done to the places of Menorca, which make cheese with a Protected Designation of Origin.
This year the contest was extended to Mahón-Menorca cheeses that are not artisans and that are made in registered industrial cheese factories, to recognize their importance, as well as that of the ripeners of the winning pieces.

The awards ceremony is a public act that is held every year in a different municipality on the Island of Menorca.
2020, due to its pandemic, was not celebrated, but this year 2021 it has been celebrated, although with restrictions due to Covid-19, calling only the winners, the media and authorities to the delivery ceremony.

The awards ceremony took place Thursday, July 1, in the meeting room of his Farm in Maó, with the presence of the Minister of Employment, Economic Projection, Youth and Sports of the Insular Council of Menorca, Mr Josep Pastrana.

In this contest, each registered cheese factory was able to present a loaf in the semi-cured cheese category and a loaf in the cured cheese category.
The loaves could be presented directly by the cheese factories or their ripener, in any case, only one per category.

The winning cheese factory in each category receives a trophy and the ripener who has treated the winning piece, in each category, receives a diploma and the possibility of stating in their advertising the circumstance of being the winner of this contest, for a year with a hallmark of the award, which has been designed.

Those who are classified in second and third place are mentioned, who receive a trophy, but cannot state it on their labelling or advertising.

This call has had two great novelties:
1.- The contest has been extended to Mahón-Menorca cheese, which has had a winner for each variety, semi-cured and cured.
2.- The winning cheese factories of each variety and type of cheese, that is, both from Mahón-Menorca Artisan and Mahón-Menorca, have received a cash prize of €750.

The PDO Tasting Jury carried out the tasting to evaluate the pieces Mahón-Menorca submitted to the contest on Thursday, June 10, and the pieces Mahón-Menorca Artisans, on Tuesday 15 and Thursday 17 June, at the headquarters of the Regulatory Council.

The evaluation of each sample was collected in a tasting sheet, which analyses various aspects: visual, smell, texture, aroma and flavour, persistence and residual taste, to finish with the overall impression.

The participation of industrial cheese factories was 100%, which is 9, presenting 9 semi-cured and 6 cured pieces of cheese, a total of 15 pieces.
The participation of artisan cheese factories was also very high, 38 of the 40 registered cheese factories, that is, 95%, presenting 38 semi-cured and 31 cured, totalling 69 pieces.

In total, a total of 84 pieces of D.O.P. cheese were submitted to the contest.