Asiago

Asiago is a semi-cooked cow's milk cheese produced in the provinces of Vicenza, Trento, Padua, and Treviso, existing in two distinct versions: pressed and ripened. The ripened version carries further labelling categories — mezzano, vecchio, and stravecchio — corresponding to defined maturation periods. Registered as a PDO under file number PDO-IT-0001, the designation is held by the Consorzio per la Tutela del Formaggio Asiago.

About this designation

The protected designation of origin 'Asiago' covers semi-cooked cheese produced exclusively from cow's milk within the administrative territories of the provinces of Vicenza, Trento, Padua, and Treviso. Areas lying at or above 600 metres within that zone are classified as mountain areas and are subject to additional requirements. Milk for pressed Asiago must be raw or pasteurised at 72°C for 15 seconds; milk for ripened Asiago must be raw or thermised at 57/68°C for 15 seconds. Pressed Asiago must mature for at least 20 days from the date of production. Ripened Asiago must mature for a minimum of 60 days from the last day of the month of production; the minimum rises to 90 days for cheeses additionally marked as 'Prodotto della montagna'. Ripened Asiago matured for 4 to 6 months may be labelled mezzano; over 10 months, vecchio; over 15 months, stravecchio. Lysozyme (E 1105) may be added to the milk for ripened Asiago but is prohibited for cheeses bearing the mountain product designation. Each cheese is identified by a numbered casein plate and stamped using bands owned by the Consorzio di Tutela; ripened cheeses carry a letter on the heel indicating the month of production. If cutting operations remove the rind and make original markings invisible, packaging must take place within the production area. The inspection body is CSQA S.r.l. Certificazioni, based in Thiene (VI). EU protection was granted on 21 June 1996 under eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000012983.

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-IT-0001, eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000012983.
• Ripened Asiago marked as 'Prodotto della montagna' requires a minimum maturation of 90 days and prohibits the use of Lysozyme (E 1105) and silage of any type.
• The specification permits no milk other than cow's milk, and the full production chain — milking, processing, and maturation — must occur within the delimited area.
• Each whole cheese is identified by a numbered casein plate; ripened cheeses are additionally stamped on the heel with a letter indicating the month of production.

Tasting notes

Two distinct styles. Asiago Pressato (fresh, 20-40 days): ivory-white, soft elastic texture, mild milky-buttery flavor, slight grass-and-yogurt notes. Asiago d'Allevo (aged, 4-24+ months): straw-yellow, firmer crumbly texture, intense savory-nutty flavor with grassy alpine notes that deepen with age.

HoReCa use

Pressato is used in panini and on cheese boards as a fresh option, and melted in fondues; d'Allevo is grated over polenta and pasta, served on cheese boards, and paired with honey and walnuts.

Packaging

• wheel-full-8-12kg
• wheel-half-4-6kg
• wedge-vacuum-1kg
• wedge-vacuum-200g
• grated-pre-pack-100g