Caseificio dei Barbi has now earned 38 international awards in just four years since the relaunch of its cheesemaking operation. The latest five—two Gold and three Bronze medals—were awarded at the seventh edition of the Mondial du Fromage et des Produits Laitiers in Tours, France, adding to the already impressive tally of international honours won by Montalcino’s historic dairy.
Organised every two years in partnership with the International Cheese Guild, the Mondial du Fromage et des Produits Laitiers is one of the world’s leading competitions dedicated to artisan cheeses and dairy products. The 2025 edition, held in Tours from 14 to 16 September, brought together affineurs, cheesemakers, milk producers, distributors, equipment manufacturers, chefs and dairy professionals from around the world. Nearly 1,900 cheeses from across the globe were evaluated for their appearance, texture, aroma and flavour by an international jury of 320 experts, chaired by Roland Barthélemy, President of the International Guild of Cheesemongers.
The five medals awarded to Caseificio dei Barbi in France—two Gold and three Bronze—recognised cheeses from three of the dairy’s signature collections: Gli Affinati, Le Riserve di Fattoria and I Freschi.
Leading the awards for the Gli Affinati collection was Cacio allo Zafferano e Ginepro, which won Gold and was named Best Cheese in the Extra-Hard, Hard and Semi-Hard Ewe’s Milk Cheese category. A semi-matured pecorino aged for 70 days, it combines saffron and juniper berries to create a delicate, aromatic cheese with a golden-yellow paste and distinctive spicy notes. Bronze medals went to Cacio al Tartufo, a semi-matured pecorino enriched with finely chopped summer black truffle and distinguished by its intense truffle aroma, and to Pecorino Aged with Tomato, matured for 70 days and finished by repeatedly coating the rind with traditional tomato passata enriched with tomato concentrate, giving the cheese its distinctive colour together with rich, aromatic tomato notes.
Gold for the Le Riserve di Fattoria collection was awarded to Cacio 24 Mesi, an exceptional pecorino matured for 24 months on fir boards, with the rind regularly treated with Fattoria dei Barbi’s extra virgin olive oil. Elegant, fragrant and intensely flavoured, it is a cheese best enjoyed on special occasions.
The I Freschi collection received a Bronze Medal for Quadrella dei Barbi – Fresh Pecorino. Crafted exclusively from ewe’s milk and matured for 30–40 days, it offers remarkable depth of flavour despite its fresh style. Produced using traditional vegetable rennet (presura) and a curd cut to the size of maize kernels, it is distinguished by its characteristic rectangular shape, making it ideal for slicing by hand or with a slicer, and perfectly suited to sandwiches, gourmet dishes and hot recipes where the cheese is intended to melt.
“Montalcino is an extraordinarily generous land. It is home not only to Brunello, but also to remarkable products such as our pecorino cheeses, which are now winning awards around the world,” says Stefano Cinelli Colombini, owner of Fattoria dei Barbi, whose estate also includes Caseificio dei Barbi.
The cheeses of Caseificio dei Barbi and the wines of Fattoria dei Barbi are at the heart of the culinary offering at Taverna dei Barbi. They are available at the estate shop in Montalcino and through a selected network of specialist retailers across Italy. Visitors can also enjoy guided dairy tours and personalised cheese tastings. The complete cheese catalogue and product data sheets can be downloaded from www.caseificiodeibarbi.it. For further information, please contact caseificio@fattoriadeibarbi.it.
