Queso Idiazabal

Pressed, uncooked cheese made exclusively from raw milk of Latxa and Carranzana sheep within a defined area of Álava, Vizcaya, Guipúzcoa and Navarre. It matures for a minimum of 60 days and may be smoked. Fat content must not fall below 45 % of dry extract. Registered as a PDO under file number PDO-ES-0082.

About this designation

Idiazabal is a pressed, uncooked sheep's milk cheese produced and matured within a geographical area covering the natural environments of the Latxa and Carranzana breeds in Álava, Vizcaya, Guipúzcoa and Navarre, excluding the municipalities of the Valle del Roncal. The sole permitted raw material is raw milk from those two breeds; no standardisation or alteration of the milk's composition is permitted, and no substances may be added other than dairy ferments, lysozyme, rennet and salt. The cheese matures for a minimum of 60 days. It has a minimum weight of 1 kg (with a leeway of 10 % in either direction), a height of between 8 and 12 cm (with a leeway of 0,5 cm), and a diameter of between 10 and 30 cm. Fat content must not be less than 45 % of dry extract; total protein must be at least 25 % of dry extract; dry extract itself must be a minimum of 55 %; and pH must be between 4,9 and 5,5. The cheese may be smoked. All stages of production, including milk production and maturing, must take place in the defined geographical area. Slicing and packaging, except retail sales, must also be carried out within that area. Each cheese must carry a casein label with a unique serial number affixed during moulding or pressing, and a secondary label with its own serial number, both supplied by the managing body, the Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen Protegida Idiazabal.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PDO on 21 June 1996 under file number PDO-ES-0082, eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000012958.
• Raw milk from Latxa and Carranzana breeds only; no standardisation or alteration of milk composition is permitted.
• Fat content must not be less than 45 % of dry extract; pH must be between 4,9 and 5,5.
• Each cheese must carry a casein label with a unique serial number, supplied by the Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen Protegida Idiazabal.

Tasting notes

Basque-Navarran sheep's milk pressed cheese from Latxa-breed flocks. Aged 60+ days, often smoked over beech and hawthorn (the "ahumado" sub-style — most common). Pale-amber smoke-darkened rind (or natural for non-smoked), ivory-yellow paste, firm dense texture, intensely savory smoky-sheep flavor with characteristic complexity.

HoReCa use

**Basque tabla de quesos** centerpiece; in pintxos; with Idiazabal-stuffed empanadas; pairs with Txakoli, Rioja Alavesa.

Packaging

• wheel-full-1-3kg
• wheel-half-vacuum-500g-1.5kg
• wedge-vacuum-300g
• wedge-vacuum-150g