Don Crisanto from Vilalba awarded as the best cheese in Spain in 2025
The Crisanto family cheesery from Vilalba, in the province of Lugo, has reached the pinnacle of cheesemaking excellence with its San Simón da Costa, recognized as the best cheese in Spain this year. This triumph highlights the value of local productions that keep ancestral techniques alive 🏆
Artisanal process and distinctive characteristics
The Don Crisanto cheese stands out for its smoking with birch wood, a method that provides a balanced aromatic profile and an unmistakable flavor. Production follows rigorous manual processes that include coagulation with native ferments, traditional pressing, controlled salting, and a minimum ripening of 45 days, culminating in the smoking that defines its personality 🧀
Key elements of its production:- Use of milk from local breed cows such as Galician blonde, Frisian, and Alpine brown
- Animals raised on traditional Galician pastures that guarantee the highest quality raw material
- Exhaustive control of each phase: from milking to the final smoking
The combination of selected milk and birch wood smoking produces a creamy cheese with subtle notes and unmistakable texture that has conquered the jury of the Alimentos de España Awards
Commitment to tradition and territory
This national award reinforces the role of small Galician cheeseries in preserving ancestral methods. The Crisanto family maintains its own herd and personally supervises every production stage, ensuring the authenticity and excellence that characterize Don Crisanto 🌱
Highlights of the recognition:- Valuation not only of the exceptional flavor but also of its ability to represent the richness of Galician gastronomy
- Recognition of sustainable production linked to the territory
- Reinforcement of the family cheesemaking tradition that endures from generation to generation
A delicious gastronomic dilemma
Faced with a product of such high quality, a fun dilemma arises: share it with the family or reserve it for personal enjoyment. This generous choice tests the character of cheese lovers, who must decide whether to spread the pleasure or keep it as a personal treasure 😊