A Manchego cheese from the Spanish province of Albacete has won the title of World Champion at the 2012 World Cheese Awards.

The Manchego DO Gran Reserva, from Dehesa de los Llanos, was chosen from a selection of 2,781 British and international cheeses.

Judges described it as “a stunning cheese – light with high notes like a choral song and an aromatic, long finish”.

In total, 50 cheeses were awarded Super Gold medals, a full list of which is available at www.finefoofworld.co.uk/wca.

Spanish cheesemakers are best known in the UK for Manchego, but the country has been tipped as a growth area by Continental cheese suppliers. For more news on which Spanish cheeses to watch out for and which other countries are tipped for the top, see The Grocer’s Focus On Cheese this Saturday (1 December).