Pecorino cheese

Exploring the surrounding countryside, it is not uncommon to see flocks grazing freely. The sheep feed on the aromatic herbs offered by the clay soil of the Val d'Orcia, resulting in particularly flavorful milk with an intense aroma. The processing of this excellent raw material gives rise to a pecorino cheese with an unmistakable taste, excellent in every version: fresh, semi-aged, aged for 6 or 18 months, fermented with grape skins or walnut leaves, spiced with pepper, chili, or truffle.

Among the most renowned typical Tuscan cheeses stands out the Pecorino di Pienza aged in barriques, named after the ancient art city of Pienza. This cheese is made from whole raw milk from Sardinian sheep, raised semi-freely with exclusively local forage. The rich flora of wormwood, hawkweed, juniper, broom, and starflower gives the cheese a distinctive aroma.

Even the Pecorino cheese aged in walnut leaves, typical of Montefollonico, near Montepulciano, deserves a taste. The production process is similar to that of Pecorino di Pienza, but the cheese is aged in terracotta jars with walnut leaves, giving it an intense flavor with a slight tannic hint and a characteristic aroma of walnut leaves.

Certifications

Both have obtained the PAT certification (Traditional Agri-food Products) since the processing, preservation, and aging are consolidated over time and homogeneous throughout the territory concerned, according to precise traditional rules.