16th GourmetQuesos, The Best Spanish Cheeses Championship 2026

• Exhibitor: GRUPO GOURMETS
• Date: Monday, April 13, 2026
• Time: 10:00 AM - 14:00 PM
• Pab: 7
• Location: Plató Gourmets - 7 F70

Members of the jury

Finalist cheeses

Quesos ganadores

More than 800 entries submitted, 65 judges, two qualifying rounds, 20 categories, 60 finalists, and 1 winner made up the ingredients of the latest edition of Spain’s most prestigious cheese competition. Once again, GourmetQuesos has selected the best national cheeses, evaluating aspects such as the rind, color, texture, aroma, flavor, aftertaste, and persistence of each sample.

The competition consists of two phases:

Semifinal: A panel of 65 judges selects the 100 finalists (five per category) from among the more than 800 samples submitted.

Final: The winners of the 20 categories are selected during Salón Gourmets. The grand final takes place on 13 April. On that day, the winners in each category will be announced, but not the Grand Prize winner. The top three finishers in each category will be in the running for the “Best Cheese in Spain” award, selected by a panel of 20 professional judges, who will announce the Grand Prize winner on Thursday, April 16 on Gourmets Plateau (hall 7) at 12.30 pm.

16th GourmetQuesos Awards Ceremony:

Place: Plató Gourmets, Hall 7
Date: Thursday 16 April 2026
Time: 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm

The Cheese from Spain Awards, the category promoted by ICEX Spain Export and Investment, aims to support Spanish producers with export potential. In this edition, ICEX had 18 cheeses have made it through to the final, out of the 129 entered. The international jury will consist of industry professionals such as Burkhard Endemann (Germany), Michelle Buster (USA), Virginie Dubois-Dhorne (France), Rick Brantenaar (Netherlands), Nicholas Gibbs (United Kingdom), and Jean-Luc Hadey (Switzerland). New this year, a maximum of 10 Gold awards may be granted, in addition to a special Champion Gold award for the cheese chosen by an absolute majority. All winning cheeses will participate in various promotional activities organized by ICEX in international markets.

In its latest edition, the international jury awarded up to 10 Gold prizes, as well as a special Champion Gold prize to the cheese chosen by absolute majority.