Artisan Villajos Semi-Aged Manchego Cheese

Villajos Manchego cheese is arguably the best in Spain. Fresh, local milk is churned by hand and then set aside to age for 6 months under the watchful eye of the family cheesemaster. This excellent cheese has a nice sharpness and a decent firmness due to its substantial aging.

This family made cheese has a deep, rich flavor that an industrial cheese cannot approximate. Just as there are hundreds of "cheddar" cheeses on the market, so there are dozens of commercial Manchego cheeses which cannot match the depth of flavor and complexity of Villajos Manchego.

The cheese is made with raw milk from the venerable Manchega breed of sheep, tended by shepherds in the hills surrounding the village. This healthy free ranging life allows them access to a diet of fresh grasses and herbs that add an unparalleled flavor to their milk. This fresh milk is fashioned by hand into farmhouse cheeses within hours of milking, a key step in creating a great cheese.

Serve this cheese in wedges, served with olives and thin slices of Ibérico ham or membrillo quince preserves. A full flavored tempranillo wine makes a good accompaniment.

Although the process of producing raw milk cheese is more complicated, Beni, the master cheese maker at Villajos, knows that this extra effort will be amply rewarded. The result is a cheese with an unparalleled taste, full of subtle tones.

This beautifully crafted cheese from La Mancha earned the Gran Selección Silver Medal for Manchego in 2005.

In acknowledgment of their quality, Villajos cheeses have been awarded four Gran Selección prizes in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006. The Gran Selección is an annual agricultural food competition held by the regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha, the home of Manchego cheese.

The entire production process is supervised by the Council of the Denomination of Origin of Manchego Cheese.