Grana Padano PDO Riserva 30 months

Grana Padano is the most produced DOP cheese in the world, with over 5 million certified wheels every year, yet its Riserva version — aged over 20 months, with the gold seal — represents the absolute excellence of a tradition rooted in the 12th century. It was the Cistercian monks of the Abbey of Chiaravalle, founded by Saint Bernard in 1135 on the Milanese plain, who developed the cheesemaking technique that would give rise to grana: faced with surplus milk from reclaimed farmland, the monks experimented with prolonged cooking of the curd and long ageing, obtaining a compact, nutritious cheese that could be kept for months. The name “grana” derived from the characteristic granular paste that develops during maturation. Over the following centuries, production spread throughout the Po Valley — from Piacenza to Venice, from the Po to the Pre-Alps — and in 1954 the Protection Consortium was established. The DOP designation was recognised by the EU in 1996. The Riserva 30 mesi version expresses the maximum complexity: ageing of over two and a half years develops visible tyrosine crystals in the paste, an intense straw-yellow colour and an aromatic profile rich in notes of dried fruit, cooked butter and meat broth.

• Temperature: 4–8 °C in the vegetable drawer or the least cold part of the refrigerator
• Wrap in cheese paper or perforated film after each cut
• Do not freeze the whole piece; only grated cheese is permitted for short periods
• Consume within 3–4 weeks of purchase once opened
• The white crystals in the paste are tyrosine — a sign of long ageing, not a defect

In the kitchen: Extraordinary in shavings on meat carpaccio, rocket and pear salads, cheeseboards with chestnut honey and walnuts. Raw on saffron risotto stirred off the heat and fresh pasta with butter and sage. Grated on minestrone, pasta e fagioli, gnocchi al burro. At room temperature with Amarone della Valpolicella or Barolo for pure tasting.

Certification: PDO — Protected Designation of Origin (EU)

Description:
Hard cheese aged over 30 months, made from partially skimmed cow's milk. The «Riserva» mark guarantees a minimum ageing of 20 months and exceptional organoleptic characteristics. Certified by the Protection Consortium and the independent body CSQA.

Certification body:
Consorzio Tutela Grana Padano + CSQA Certificazioni

🌐 Official consortium website  |  📄 Production specification (PDF)

• Allergens: cow's milk (negligible residual lactose due to long ageing)
• Gluten: absent
• Lactose: practically absent in versions over 24 months (< 0.01 g/100g)
• Pregnancy: suitable — pasteurised milk, long ageing eliminates microbiological risks
• Vegan/vegetarian: not suitable (animal rennet)