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Castelmagno PDO
Consortium

Consortium, history, types.

CONSORTIUM

Tino Paiolo is a member of the Castelmagno Consortium, the body responsible for the protection, promotion, and certification of Castelmagno PDO.

The consortium for the protection of Castelmagno cheese was established by its producers on June 19, 1984. At the time of the 1923 census, only the Municipality of Castelmagno was included; it is currently produced in three municipalities: Castelmagno, Pradleves, and Monterosso Grana.

HISTORY

Castelmagno is the King of Piedmontese cheeses and has ancient origins; the first written document testifying to its existence is an arbitration ruling from 1277 requiring payment in wheels of Castelmagno to the Marquis of Saluzzo. In 1996, it received the Protected Designation of Origin.

Piedmontese PDO: read more...

TYPES

The milk used in the production of Castelmagno determines its type and future structure, whether it will be “Mountain Product” or “Alpeggio” (Alpine pasture).

Only if the milk comes from cows kept at pasture in the mountains during the summer period and the entire production process has been carried out in a mountain hut (above 1,000 meters), can the cheese bear the additional mention “di alpeggio”.

Castelmagno PDO Mountain Product

This is a semi-hard cheese made from raw cow’s milk; it has a cylindrical shape and features a thin, smooth rind in younger wheels, which becomes thick and wrinkled in more aged ones. Depending on the maturation, the paste can vary from crumbly and white to compact and yellowish.

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DAYS OF AGING

It has a characteristic, harmonious, and delicate aroma in young wheels and a more savory one in more aged ones. Excellent enjoyed on its own or with a slice of homemade bread, it pairs beautifully with honey or wild berry jams.

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COW’S MILK

Castelmagno PDO
Alpeggio

Castelmagno PDO Alpeggio is a cheese produced exclusively with cow’s milk milked at high altitudes. It has a crumbly and grainy ivory-white paste, which takes on a more compact ochre-yellow structure during aging, with possible greenish-blue veining.

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DAYS OF AGING

It has an intense, savory aroma with notes of cooked milk, dried fruit, hay, and undergrowth. Its aromatic range is derived from the cows’ diet, as they feed exclusively on pasture grass and meadow flowers during the mountain grazing season.

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