This Spanish cheese just sold for a world-record €37,500 after secret bidding pact

For six years, one Asturian restaurant held Spain’s most coveted wheel of blue cheese almost unchallenged. In 2024, that dominance came to an end as four small businesses combined their efforts to break the world record price for a single wheel of Cabrales cheese. The alliance between La Montera Picona in Gijón and Sidrería La Cuenca, Carlos Tartiere, and Lo de Viole in Madrid successfully bid €37,500 for the world’s priciest cheese at the 54th Cabrales Cheese Competition.

This auction, which took place on August 30 in Arenas de Cabrales, marked a shift from the previous pattern where a single restaurant had won every year. Cabrales cheese, a protected designation of origin status since 1981, is a handcrafted blue cheese made from raw cow’s milk or a blend of raw cow’s, sheep’s, or goat’s milk. It is matured for at least two months in natural caves, resulting in distinctive blue-green veining from penicillium moulds.

Only 18 dairies are certified to produce Cabrales, with roughly 400,000 kilograms produced annually, a quarter of which is exported. The scarcity, unique setting, and festive atmosphere surrounding the annual auction contribute to its exceptional price. This year’s record-breaking cheese was produced by Ángel Díaz Herrero in Tielve, who won the competition for the third consecutive time.

The contest, which began in 1968 to promote Cabrales beyond local villages, is held annually on the last Sunday of August and doubles as a local festival featuring music, dancing, and market stalls. The previous record of €36,000, set in 2024, was later verified by Guinness World Records as the most expensive cheese ever sold at an auction.