Spain to host World Cheese Awards 2020, as part of International Cheese Festival in Oviedo

The Guild of Fine Food has announced that the World Cheese Awards will be held in the Spanish Principality of Asturias this year, taking place in Oviedo on Wednesday 4 November. Forming part of the Asturias Paraíso Natural International Cheese Festival 2020, run by the Instituto del Queso, the 33rd edition of the competition will headline a four day festival dedicated to cheese, staged at the city’s awe-inspiring Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos.

Uniting the global cheese community, from cheesemakers to cheese lovers and everyone in between, World Cheese Awards 2020 is set to be bigger and more international than ever before, following a record-breaking 3,804 entries from 42 different countries judged in Bergamo, Italy last year. Due to take place on the first day of the International Cheese Festival, running from Wednesday 4 November until Saturday 7 November, the World Cheese Awards judging will signal the start of one of this year’s most important gastronomic events.

Welcoming judges from over 30 different countries, cheese from six continents and followers from every corner of the globe, Oviedo will become the centre of the cheese world this November. Building upon the Asturias region’s rich cheesemaking heritage, the International Cheese Festival will present a packed programme of events for both consumer and trade visitors, including an exhibition, a cheese market, a scientific cheese congress, tours of the World Cheese Awards judging arena, experimental tasting sessions, an Asturian Agriculture Forum and even a gastro cheese comedy line-up.

John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food, organisers of the World Cheese Awards, commented: “It gives me great pleasure to announce Oviedo as the host city for WCA 2020, following an extremely impressive bid from the Principality of Asturias, the City Council of Oviedo and the Instituto del Queso. We received interest from potential host cities across the world, but the opportunity to bring WCA to Asturias was too good to miss, not least due to the region’s whole-hearted commitment to its food culture. From the peak of the mountains to the depths of the sea, this is one part of the world where you truly can eat the view. With up to 4,000 cheeses from over 40 different countries expected at WCA 2020, the competition will be bringing a global celebration of cheese to Oviedo, putting the city firmly on the map of top international food destinations. Thousands of food professionals, buyers, retailers, consumers and tourists will be making their way to the city for one of the biggest cheese events the world has ever seen, creating a lasting food and drink legacy for the region.”

Luisa Villegas, managing director of Instituto del Queso, organisers of the International Cheese Festival, added: “It’s a wonderful opportunity to have a date set in the world calendar of gastronomy and cheese. It will be a meeting point to speak about science, health and the food of the future. Indeed, the Festival wants to build a space where technology, traditional artisan cheesemakers and science-based novel biotechnological processes will align together to work towards new business models. Cheese has to set an example in innovation, and of course, the producers, the cheesemakers, and the agrifood industry will be the main protagonists of the Festival.”

The World Cheese Awards will take place on Wednesday 4 November, forming part of the International Cheese Festival, which will run from Wednesday 4 November until Saturday 7 November at the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos in Oviedo, Spain.

For further information, please contact any of the following:
Sam Brice at Freshly Ground PR
+44 (0) 7961 635960
sam@freshlygroundpr.co.uk
Amy Brice at Freshly Ground PR
+44 (0) 7717 893123
amy@freshlygroundpr.co.uk
Tortie Farrand at the Guild of Fine Food
+44 (0) 1747 825200
tortie.farrand@gff.co.uk
 

World Cheese Awards
A firm date in every cheese lover’s calendar, the World Cheese Awards has been bringing together cheesemakers, retailers, buyers, consumers and food commentators worldwide for over three decades, in a celebration of tradition, innovation and excellence in cheese. It’s the biggest cheese-only event in the world, with no yoghurt, cream, butter or other dairy able to enter, championing the world’s best cheesemakers, from tiny artisans to global heavyweights.

Judges work in teams of three to four, identifying any cheeses worthy of a Bronze, Silver or Gold award. They assess the look, feel, smell and taste of each entry, scoring aspects such as the appearance of the rind and paste, as well as the cheese’s aroma, body and texture, with the majority of points awarded for flavour and mouthfeel. Each team then nominates one exceptional cheese as the Super Gold from their table. These cheeses are the best in the world and are judged a second time by the Super Jury of 16 internationally recognised experts, who each select a cheese to champion in the final round of judging. The Super Jury, representing all four corners of the globe, then debates the final 16 in front of a live consumer and trade audience, before choosing the World Champion Cheese live on WCA TV.

Web: www.gff.co.uk/wca

Instagram: @guildoffinefood

Twitter: @guildoffinefood

#WorldCheeseAwards

 Asturias Paraíso Natural International Cheese Festival

Asturias Paraíso Natural International Cheese Festival 2020 is the most important gastronomic event of the year and will take place at the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos (PEC), Oviedo from Wednesday 4 November until Saturday 7 November. With cheese taking centre stage, the festival will feature a series of events within its programme, including the celebration of World Cheese Awards 2020, the most important cheese competition in the world. 

Asturias Paraíso Natural International Cheese Festival 2020 will be the most important showcase for the cheese sector this year, where visitors can taste everything from the most traditional cheeses from five continents to the new trends in the sector. It will have a novel festival format, in which the importance of science for cheese’s position in the feeding of the future will be highlighted, accompanied by leading representatives from international gastronomy.

Open to everyone, the festival will facilitate interaction between exhibitors, cheese professionals and consumers.

Web: www.internationalcheesefestival.com

Facebook: @internationalcheesefestival2020

Instagram: @internationalcheesefest2020

Twitter: @cheesefest2020