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Cheese holds a place of honor in France’s proud culinary tradition. Wine, bread, oysters, and dairy products are the pillars on which the Eiffel Tower itself is built. Yet this year, among the award-winning products at Le Mondial du Fromage et des Produits Laitiers, a biennial exhibition that brings together over two thousand specialties from around the world, Sardinia stood out, taking home five medals: one silver and four bronze. This haul not only reflects the quality of the milk and the hands that transform it, but also the resilience of a dairy tradition that continues to amaze beyond the island’s borders. The silver medal went to Fioretto della Sepi Formaggi di Marrubiu, already well known to international juries.
Sepi Formaggi – photo by Massimo Serra
This pecorino cheese is no stranger to the spotlight: in 2024, it won gold in Lyon and was named “Top Italian Food” by Gambero Rosso. A cheese that, as owner Salvatore Sedda explains, “continues to be appreciated internationally. This award is the result of hard work focused on quality and the highest production standards.” Words that give a glimpse of how, behind a product of excellence, there is not only technique, but also a vision that focuses on authenticity and rigor. The rest of the Sardinian winners bear the signature of the Garau dairy in Mandas.
Here, among the hills and pastures of Trexenta, milk has been processed for generations, and this time four bronze medals were won: three for already famous pecorino cheeses—Granduca di Mandas, Cardureu, and Colline di Mandas—and one for the brand new Piccante di Trexenta, which was entered in a world competition for the first time. The owner, Marina Garau, who runs the company together with her brother Mimmo, does not hide her enthusiasm: “Receiving this recognition in France, which is a real debut for us, has a special flavor, especially when it comes to one of the most important competitions in the world. And when all nations participate in the same competition, the gratification is exponential.”
The value of these medals increases even further when you consider the competition format: each cheese is judged “blind,” without labels or references to the producer. Only the taste counts, along with the aroma, texture, and overall harmony. “We always treat every competition as if it were our first,” says Marina Garau. “The excitement and trepidation remain high every time.” This philosophy explains the passion with which Sardinian dairies continue to present themselves to international audiences, never taking anything for granted.
In total, Italy won 56 medals, a sign of a dairy tradition that continues to be respected globally. But the fact that five of these medals came from a single region—Sardinia—demonstrates the island’s specific weight in the global dairy landscape. A land of shepherds, sheep, and wind, Sardinia carries with it a heritage that is not limited to preserving memory: it manages to innovate without losing its identity. Between Fioretto and Piccante, between historic pecorino cheeses and new creations, the lesson that comes from Marrubiu and Mandas is clear: excellence is never a point of arrival, but a journey that is renewed with every wheel of cheese, every taste, every medal won.
Dining and Cooking