{"id":3237,"date":"2025-08-07T16:25:27","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T16:25:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/learn-why-dop-manchego-1605-is-one-of-spains-best-cheeses\/"},"modified":"2025-08-07T16:25:27","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T16:25:27","slug":"learn-why-dop-manchego-1605-is-one-of-spains-best-cheeses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/learn-why-dop-manchego-1605-is-one-of-spains-best-cheeses\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn Why DOP Manchego 1605 is one of Spain’s Best Cheeses"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In our series of Cheese Profiles, we further examine those cheeses that have been called out as best sellers from places in our \u201cCheese Shops We Love\u201d series. Next up, one of the highest expressions of its category: Manchego 1605.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Manchego<\/a> is a trusty cheese if ever there was one. Capable of satisfying aficionados and cheese novices alike, it retains an air of \u201cartisanal\u201d even in its more mass-produced forms, with its telltale basketweave exterior and nutty, starchy paste. In point of fact, the late, brilliant Anne Saxelby singled it out as a \u201ctried and true\u201d choice in our story How to Buy Cheese Like a Pro<\/a>. As one of Spain\u2019s most important DOP cheeses, Manchego can be made by any number of outlets so long as they adhere to its strict formula, but perhaps none does so as traditionally or expertly as Queseria 1605<\/a>, the cheesemaking operation at Finca Solera de la Solana. In our Cheese Shops We Love<\/a> series, Emilio Mignucci of Philadelphia\u2019s iconic Di Bruno Bros.<\/a> highlights Manchego 1605 as one of their best-sellers. Here we dive into the details of what makes Manchego 1605 so special.<\/p>\n

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What is Manchego 1605?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Manchego 1605 is a traditional, aged, raw sheep\u2019s milk cheese made in La Mancha, Spain by Queseria 1605<\/a> at Finca Solera de la Solana, by cheesemaker Mar\u00eda Jos\u00e9 Gonz\u00e1lez-Rom\u00e1n, and imported to the United States through a partnership with Essex St. Cheese<\/a> and Queseria 1605\u2019s Master Affineur, Jose Martin.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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History of Manchego 1605<\/strong><\/p>\n

Manchego itself is an ancient style of cheese, with evidence of cheesemaking from sheep\u2019s milk happening in La Mancha as early as the bronze age, up to 5000 years ago. (For further depth into the complete history of Manchego, see our article on Spanish Manchego 101<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

The history of Manchego 1605\u2014so-named for the year that Don Quixote was first published\u2014begins at farmstead Finca Solera de la Solana, a ranch that was established in 1878.<\/p>\n

How Manchego 1605 is Made<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Finca Solera de la Solana is one of only about 10 farmstead operations where DOP Manchego is made, meaning that the cheesemaking facility is on the same property as the sheep are raised. Raw sheep\u2019s milk is collected on site, and the cheese is made 3 to 4 times a week depending on the season. Milk is warmed (but not to the point of Pasteurization) during the cheesemaking process, and natural rennet is added. Wheels are hand-formed quickly in order to achieve a cohesive knitting of the curd, and pressed into Manchego\u2019s signature, cylindrical mold that gives it its basketweave exterior. In antiquity these would have been actual baskets. Unlike most commercial Manchego, Manchego 1605 is not treated with wax or oil, and a natural rind forms during the aging process of at least 6 months, unlike the more commonly artificially colored brown rind. Fun fact? Manchego lambs are born in the spring and listen to mariachi music until they go outdoors to graze when they are 3 weeks old.<\/p>\n

Manchego 1605 Tasting Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a true farmstead Manchego,\u201d says Mignucci of Di Bruno Bros. \u201cThe cheesemaker is the farmer who grows great soil and grass, so the sheep eat well,\u201d he says, resulting in a cheese with \u201cwelcoming earthy notes\u201d and a \u201ctoasted crusty bread finish.\u201d St. James Company calls out its note of \u201csweet wool,\u201d and Antonelli\u2019s describes it as \u201cbalancing mellow flavors of sweet almond with vague spice.\u201d (\u201cAlmond\u201d is a note that came up frequently among cheese shops that carry Manchego 1605, so it is worth noting that the ranch that raises the sheep that makes it also grows almonds.)<\/p>\n

Manchego 1605 Pairings<\/strong><\/p>\n

You cannot go wrong with a traditional Spanish tapa spread that has Manchego 1605 as its centerpiece, with salty fried marcona almonds, jamon, and tangy manzanilla olives. Antonelli\u2019s also suggests quicos: a crunch-bomb corn nut to play off of the cheese\u2019s buttery texture.<\/p>\n

For the best beverage pairings for Manchego 1605, keep it in Spain with a Spanish white or red, both of which reflect different aspects of the complex cheese. Ones to try include Adega de Peg\u00f5es Colheita Selecionada White 2021<\/a> (NYIWC Double Gold Medal Winner, 2022) and Bodega Piquera Los Losares Monastrell 2019<\/a> (NYIWC Double Gold Medal Winner, 2022.)<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In our series of Cheese Profiles, we further examine those cheeses that have been called out as best sellers from places in our \u201cCheese Shops We Love\u201d series. Next up, one of the highest expressions of its category: Manchego 1605. Manchego is a trusty cheese if ever there was one. Capable of satisfying aficionados and … Okumaya devam et “Learn Why DOP Manchego 1605 is one of Spain’s Best Cheeses”<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1271,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[395],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-milk-and-diary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1271"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3237\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}