Six medals are a signal about ageing, not just awards
Murray’s Cheese has announced that its cave-aged cheeses received six medals at the 2026 American Cheese Society (ACS) Awards. For consumers, this may look like a useful shopping shortcut: an award-winning cheese is likely worth tasting. For cheesemakers and specialist retailers in Spain, however, the more important message is about affinage—the skilled work of selecting, maturing, monitoring and presenting cheese after it leaves the dairy.
A cheese award does not only recognise the farmer or the maker. In categories involving cave-aged or specially matured products, it can also validate the work of the affineur: the professional who manages temperature, humidity, airflow, rind development and turning schedules to bring out a cheese’s best character. Murray’s result places that role in the spotlight at a time when cheese buyers are increasingly looking for provenance, distinctive flavour and a reason to choose one wheel over another.
For a directory focused on the best cheesemakers in Spain, this is a useful international benchmark. Spain already has exceptional raw material, diverse breeds, mountain and coastal microclimates, and a broad range of protected cheeses. The opportunity is to explain more clearly how a cheese is matured, who matures it, and why that process changes the experience on the plate.
Why cave ageing changes the cheese
Cave ageing is not simply storage in a picturesque underground space. It is controlled maturation. The ageing environment affects moisture loss, rind flora, texture, aroma and the balance between salt, acidity and savoury notes. A wheel that is perfectly made can still disappoint if it dries too quickly, develops unwanted rind activity or spends too long in conditions that flatten its flavour.
The affineur’s work is a quality process
During maturation, cheese professionals may wash, brush, turn or wrap cheeses. They inspect rinds, assess moisture and decide when a cheese has reached its optimum point. In practical terms, that means an affineur can guide a young, lactic cheese towards a more buttery texture, a firmer paste with nutty complexity, or a washed-rind profile with deeper savoury aromas.
This matters because the same style of cheese can taste very different depending on how it has been aged. A sheep’s-milk wheel from Castilla-La Mancha, for example, may show clean milk and hay notes when young, while a carefully matured version can develop toasted nuts, caramel and a longer, more persistent finish. Neither is automatically better; they serve different customers and occasions. But the retailer and producer need to communicate the difference honestly.
Awards can reduce discovery risk—but they are not a guarantee
The ACS Awards are respected within the North American specialty-cheese sector, and six medals give Murray’s a strong credibility signal. Still, medals should be treated as an informed starting point, not as a universal definition of quality. Judges assess cheeses at a particular stage, under competition conditions, and preferences vary among consumers.
When buying cheese, a medal should be paired with practical questions: Is this wheel at its intended maturity? Has it been cut recently? Was it stored at an appropriate temperature? Does its flavour profile match the meal, wine or beer being planned? The best cheese counter is not the one with the most trophies; it is the one that can answer those questions accurately.
What Spanish cheesemakers can take from the news
Spain’s cheese sector includes small farmstead dairies, cooperatives, protected-origin producers and innovative urban affineurs. The Murray’s announcement highlights several areas where Spanish producers can create value without abandoning local tradition.
Make maturation part of the product story
Many labels tell customers the milk type, region and ageing duration. That is useful, but it can be incomplete. “Aged for six months” does not explain whether the cheese was matured on wooden boards, washed in brine, turned by hand, held in natural caves or finished in a temperature-controlled cellar.
Producers should describe the maturation method in plain language on product pages, at market stalls and in sales sheets for restaurants. A concise explanation such as “aged on spruce boards and turned weekly to encourage an even natural rind” gives buyers a real reason to understand the price and flavour. It also distinguishes an artisan product from a generic aged cheese.
Build relationships between dairies and affineurs
Not every cheesemaker needs to own a cave or maintain a separate maturing facility. In fact, collaboration can be more sustainable. A dairy can focus on milk quality and consistent make-day technique, while a specialist affineur manages the long and capital-intensive maturation phase.
For Spanish producers, this model can be especially useful for limited seasonal batches, cheeses made from rare local breeds, or wheels intended for hospitality and export. The essential point is traceability: the final customer should know who made the cheese and who matured it. Credit should follow the full chain rather than treating ageing as an invisible step.
Use competitions strategically, not cosmetically
Entering a competition can provide external feedback, media attention and useful material for export conversations. Yet the goal should not be to make cheese solely for judges. A competition entry should represent a product that can be delivered consistently to regular customers.
Before entering, makers should identify the target category, select wheels at their ideal maturity and verify packaging, cold-chain procedures and batch records. After the results, they should study feedback where available. A medal can support a commercial story; sensory consistency, safe production and reliable supply are what keep a restaurant or deli buying.
Practical advice for Spanish cheese shops and restaurants
Retailers should use international award news to educate rather than merely decorate a counter. A small sign saying “cave-aged” has more value when staff can explain the effect on flavour and texture. Offer a comparison tasting: a young goat’s cheese beside a longer-aged version from the same producer, or a natural-rind sheep’s cheese beside a washed-rind alternative.
Restaurants can also use affineur-led selection to improve cheese boards. Instead of listing only the cheese name and region, include milk type, maturation approach and a serving note. For example: “raw sheep’s milk, cave matured, firm and nutty; serve with quince paste and a dry amontillado.” This turns a cheese course into a guided experience and makes price points easier for diners to understand.
For both shops and restaurants, storage remains decisive. Keep whole cheeses and cut portions at suitable temperatures and humidity, avoid wrapping that suffocates living rinds, and rotate stock according to each cheese’s maturity window. Even a medal-winning cheese can lose its character after poor handling at retail level.
How consumers can buy better cheese after seeing an award headline
The most useful response to this news is curiosity. Ask your local cheese specialist for a cheese that has been matured by an affineur, or ask which Spanish cheese in the counter has the most distinctive ageing process. Do not assume that older always means stronger or better. Some soft cheeses peak in weeks, while certain hard sheep’s cheeses need many months to reveal their complexity.
When tasting, allow cheese to sit out of the fridge for roughly 30 to 60 minutes, depending on size and room temperature. Start with milder cheeses before powerful blue or washed-rind styles. Notice the texture first, then the aromas and finish. If a cheese seems overly ammoniated, dry or bland, tell the seller: this feedback helps them manage stock and recommend a better wheel.
The wider lesson from Murray’s six ACS medals is that great cheese is a chain of expertise. Milk production, cheesemaking, ageing, transport and retail care all matter. Spain has the ingredients to tell that full story exceptionally well—and consumers who ask better questions help ensure that expertise is rewarded.
FAQ
What is an affineur in cheese?
An affineur is a cheese-maturation specialist. They select and age cheeses under controlled conditions, managing elements such as humidity, temperature, turning, washing and rind care to achieve a desired flavour and texture.
Does cave-aged cheese always come from a natural cave?
No. “Cave-aged” may refer to maturation in a natural cave or in a cellar designed to reproduce cave-like conditions. What matters most is the stable environment and the skill used to manage the cheese during ageing.
Are award-winning cheeses always the best choice?
Awards are a valuable sign of quality, but taste is personal and handling matters. Choose cheeses based on their current condition, maturity, flavour profile and suitability for your meal, not on medals alone.
How can I find well-aged Spanish cheese nearby?
Ask independent cheese shops about the producer, milk source and maturation method. Look for cheesemakers and retailers that state the age, rind treatment and storage recommendations rather than only listing a generic cheese style.
Fuente: PR Newswire — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:00:00 GMT
