De Hualdo Cheeses win Great Taste and Cincho 2026 Awards

The cheeses produced at Finca Hualdo have once again been recognised at some of the sector’s leading international competitions. In 2026, Queso Pi (π) De Hualdo and Mi-Queso Manchego De Hualdo received further accolades at the Great Taste Awards and the Cincho Cheese Awards.

Particularly noteworthy is the recognition for  Pi (π) De Hualdo, which has achieved three Great Taste stars for the second year running, the highest distinction awarded by this competition. This award is complemented by a Cincho de Oro. Meanwhile, Mi-Queso Manchego De Hualdo has been awarded two Great Taste stars and a Cincho de Plata.

These awards contribute to an outstanding result for the cheese producer: Quesos De Hualdo has now secured nine Great Taste stars in 2026. The recognised products can also be viewed in the official Great Taste directory of the Guild of Fine Food.

 Pi (π) De Hualdo cheese: three Great Taste stars for the second consecutive year

De Hualdo Pi (π) Cheese has been awarded three stars at Great Taste 2026 for the second year running, thereby cementing the highest accolade awarded by the competition organised by the Guild of Fine Food.

In addition to this award, it has received a 2026 Gold Cincho in the category for sheep’s milk cheeses made using non-vegetable enzymatic rennet.

Made from freshly milked raw milk, Hualdo’s Pi (π) Cheese is matured for 45 days and is characterised by its semi-soft texture, mould-ripened rind and silky mouthfeel. It is one of Quesos De Hualdo’s most innovative creations and stems from the quest to find new ways of expressing the full potential of sheep’s milk.

At the Great Taste Awards, the jury highlighted its freshness and balance. Its texture is creamy and slightly acidic, with citrus, herbaceous and buttery notes. Towards the rind, the cheese gains intensity and nuances of nuts and flowers emerge, resulting in a complex and long-lasting flavour profile.

The very name of Queso Pi (π) De Hualdo also reflects the philosophy behind its production. Its reference to an infinite number connects with experimentation, exploration and continuous improvement, viewing innovation as a way to keep exploring the possibilities of a raw material deeply rooted in its origins.

Mi- Manchego cheese: two Great Taste stars and a Silver Cincho

Mi-Manchego De Hualdo  cheese has also received further accolades in 2026. The cheese has been awarded two Great Taste stars and a Silver Cincho in the matured raw sheep’s milk cheese category.

These awards come on top of its recognition as Best Manchego PDO 2026.

Made from raw Manchego sheep’s milk, Mi-Queso Manchego De Hualdo represents the production method most closely linked to the cheesemaking tradition of Castilla-La Mancha. The milk is processed raw and freshly milked, whilst a slow maturing process allows the cheese to develop its texture, depth and various nuances.

The jury highlighted a crumbly texture, characteristic of a mature Manchego, yet at the same time creamy, with well-developed ripening crystals. On the palate, notes of nuts, butter and sweet milk emerge, creating a rounded, balanced and persistent flavour profile.

Nine Great Taste stars for Quesos De Hualdo in 2026

The awards won by Queso Pi De Hualdo and Mi-Queso Manchego De Hualdo form part of a wider achievement: De Hualdo  cheeses has achieved nine Great Taste stars in 2026.

Great Taste is a competition organised by the Guild of Fine Food, bringing together a panel of over 500 experts, including chefs, buyers, food journalists and retailers. According to the organisation, less than 2 per cent of the products assessed achieve three stars each year, the highest rating that  Pi (π) De Hualdo has achieved for the second year running.

The Cincho Cheese Awards follow an independent evaluation process. In their twelfth national and sixth international edition, 69 international experts spent three days evaluating 1,300 samples from 18 countries.

In this edition, Queso Pi De Hualdo has been awarded a Cincho de Oro, whilst Mi-Queso Manchego De Hualdo has received a Cincho de Plata.

Two ways of approaching cheese from the same origin

The 2026 awards highlight two cheeses with very different profiles.

Queso Pi (π) De Hualdo represents the cheesery’s most innovative side, with a production process that explores new textures, rinds and ways of working with sheep’s milk. Mi-Queso Manchego De Hualdo, on the other hand, maintains a direct connection with the Manchego cheese-making tradition and a production method closely linked to the local area.

Both share, however, the same starting point: raw milk, the farm’s own livestock, on-farm production and a maturing process tailored to the characteristics of each cheese.

Tradition and innovation thus become two complementary ways of working with the same raw material and developing cheeses with their own distinct identity.

Cheeses produced and matured at Finca Hualdo

Quesos De Hualdo carries out all this work at Finca Hualdo, situated in El Carpio de Tajo, Toledo. Across its more than 4,000 hectares, agriculture, livestock farming, cheese-making and maturing coexist, making it possible to control the process from the source of the raw material right through to the maturation of each cheese.

The farm’s own flock consists of carefully selected sheep that are fed largely by grazing on the farm’s meadows and on the farm’s own agricultural produce, including cereals, maize, fodder, alfalfa, straw, pasture and stubble.

This interplay between the countryside, the flock, the milk, the production process and the maturing process lies behind cheeses as diverse as Queso Pi (π) De Hualdo and Mi-Queso Manchego De Hualdo.

The accolades received at Great Taste and the 2026 Cincho Awards once again highlight these two expressions of Quesos De Hualdo: the exploration of new ways of making cheese and the connection to the Manchego cheese-making tradition.