Awards
A Cincho Award is synonymous with prestige, quality and trust, and translates into greater visibility in the market and among consumers.
Grand Gold Cincho
Among all the distinctions awarded in the competition, the Grand Gold Cincho represents the highest honour. It is a recognition reserved exclusively for those cheeses that, after undergoing a demanding sensory evaluation process, stand out in an extraordinary way among all participants.
This award recognises not only quality but also identity, character and mastery in cheesemaking. Achieving a Grand Gold Cincho places a cheese among the international elite of the sector, becoming a benchmark for professionals, distributors and consumers.
The Grand Gold Cincho symbolises the culmination of work done to the highest standard, a commitment to excellence and the ability to inspire through a product that transcends its origin to become a global reference.
Gold Cincho and Silver Cincho
The Gold Cincho and Silver Cincho distinctions recognise cheeses that stand out for their quality, balance and character within each of the 43 official categories of the competition.
These awards highlight the unique character of each cheese, assessing its sensory qualities, typicity and fidelity to the style it represents. Each award-winning cheese has passed a rigorous, anonymous and professional evaluation process, placing it among the highest-rated cheeses in its category.
Obtaining a Gold Cincho or Silver Cincho represents a high-level technical endorsement and a prestigious distinction that strengthens the product’s positioning in the market. For consumers, it is a guarantee of quality; for producers, it is recognition of their work, dedication and excellence in cheesemaking.
Awards for excellence
The Awards for Excellence recognise the cheeses that have achieved the highest scores in the competition, becoming the absolute references for quality in each edition.
Each cheese may receive only one distinction within this annual excellence category.
This section includes:
Awarded to the highest-rated cheese in this category.
A special recognition for the Artisan Food sector of Castilla y León.
Awarded to the highest-scoring certified organic cheese in the competition.
These awards represent the highest technical and professional recognition within each edition, positioning the winners as benchmarks of excellence in the sector.
Cincho Awards for milk quality for dairy farmers in Castilla y León
These awards aim to recognise the excellence of dairy farms in Castilla y León in producing milk of the highest physico-chemical and hygienic-sanitary quality, in sheep, cow and goat species.
Farms may apply for these awards if they carry out their quality self-monitoring through the Interprofessional Dairy Laboratory of Castilla y León (LILCYL) and if their results are recorded in its database during the established reference period (12 months).
The evaluation will be based on the parameters recorded in LILCYL, including:
Selection
and Awarding
The farms with the highest scores will be selected as finalists and will be formally notified of their status. The final decision will be evaluated by a Technical Committee composed of staff from ITACyL and LILCYL.
The awards will be presented during the official Cincho Awards ceremony, with corresponding media coverage. The recognition will consist of a trophy and an official diploma.
Cincho honorary awards
The Cincho Honorary Awards recognise individuals and organisations that have made a significant contribution to the promotion, development and strengthening of the dairy sector, with particular attention to their impact in Castilla y León.
The Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development grants this recognition as a demonstration of the strategic value of the dairy sector as a driver of economic development, a catalyst for productive activity and a key factor in maintaining population in rural areas.
These awards highlight careers, initiatives and projects that have strengthened the image, competitiveness and projection of the sector, reinforcing its role as a fundamental pillar of the agri-food environment.
Jury
The Jury of the Cincho Honorary Awards will be chaired by the Deputy Minister for the Common Agricultural Policy and Rural Development and will be composed of professionals and individuals with recognised expertise in the dairy sector, ensuring a rigorous and well-founded evaluation.
The awards are presented during the official Cincho Awards ceremony, within the framework of the International Cheese Competition.