Cheese Spotlight: Manchego

The most famous of Spanish Cheese

There are so many Manchego's – or cheeses calling themselves Manchego – that it is quite easy to be overwhelmed. At Brindisa, it is often called the ‘gateway to Spanish cheese’ as it is by far the most popular and well-known Spanish cheese.

HOW TO SPOT A GOOD MANCHEGO

To make sure you have an authentic Manchego, always check the PDO label and look for the serial number of the cheese which will be on its base and label. Then try and establish the size of the dairy which can help identify how far production has been industrialised. This is important as most Manchego is now made in factories using milk that is transported long distances, pasteurised and put through a fully automated production line. 

All the cheeses are pressed and salted and patterned in the traditional Castilian way i.e. the sides are imprinted with the zigzag weave of the local esparto grass which was once used as a plaited belt (pleitas) to contain the curds, and the tops and bottoms have the imprint of the wooden boards that were used for pressing.   

RANGES OF MANCHEGO

Different types of Manchego cheese stand at various sizes, some can be around 8cm high and 20cm in diameter, although smaller ones are now made. The rind can range from natural muddy grey on artisan cheeses through darkish yellow on wax-coated cheeses, to the flat dark brown of some industrial cheeses that have been painted with food-grade paraffin wax. 

 BUYING BRINDISA MANCHEGO 

1605 Manchego DOP 11 months | 200g 

milk type: raw ewes' milk

Our 1605 Manchego is made at the Sierra la Solana estate, 150km south of Madrid. Here you can find traditional, rustic Mediterranean vegetation, as well as a harsh and extreme climatic environment, ideal for the native Manchega sheep to roam about. The result is a clean, rich-tasting milk with a sweet and malted cereal finish, which translates into elegant, fruity, intense flavours with a long finish. This 11-month minimum matured Manchego has aromas of leather and lanolin. The paste is dense and, on occasion, crystalline. It has a complex savoury flavour with hints of caramel and spices and a long, intense finish.

Villarejo Manchego Semi-cured Cheese

milk type: raw ewes' milk

This semi-cured Manchego DOP, combines lactic and herbal aromas, the paste is dense and semi hard. The flavours are fresh with a pleasant acidity and a mellow sweetness, typical of ewes’ milk. 

1605 Manchego DOP 5 months

milk type: raw ewes' milk

Our 1605 Manchego is made at the Sierra la Solana estate, an area of about 350 hectares, which includes vineyards, almond plantations and olive groves, 150km south of Madrid. Here you can find a traditional rustic Mediterranean vegetation as well as a harsh and extreme climatic environment, ideal for the native Manchega sheep to roam about. The result is clean, rich-tasting milk with a sweet and malted cereal finish which translate into an elegant, fruity, intense flavours with a long finish.
The aroma of this minimum 5-month-matured Manchego is of butter and cereal. The paste is pale ivory, semi-hard and dense; the flavours are of sweet and rich ewes’ milk and raw almonds. It has a long, clean finish.

Click here to see our full collection of Manchego. 

WHAT TO SERVE IT WITH

The cheese are good with fruity white wines and big reds, and we serve them with quince membrillo!

See all of the Brindisa cheese accompaniments here.

THE BRITISH HOME TO SPANISH CHEESE

Brindisa began with cheese and has been importing and working with cheese from Spain for the past 30 years. Back in 1989, Brindisa founder, Monika Linton, started to bring back Spanish cheese to the UK with her brother Mark. Monika has always been on a mission and committed to discovering and supporting the small, often remote dairies wherever possible. 

The range of cheese sold at Brindisa is probably the widest range available in the UK and what is so special about the cheese that Brindisa imports, is the ability to bring cheeses to our customers that are from the furthest, most isolated villages in rural Spain. This is possible because of the well established logistical chain that has been built up over the past 30 years and the strong relationships built with dairies. It is such a joy and a privilege to bring a handmade cheese from a small farm in Menorca and be able to sell it in London and explain why this cheese is so special. 

Below you can find a little more about what we do and why we are totally obsessed with Spanish cheese...and why you should be too!

LEARN MORE ABOUT SPANISH CHEESE.