Spanish Cheese Tasting: Five Flights Across Spain (evening)

Five flights. Centuries of cheesemaking. One delicious journey through Spain.

This is for the Evening Session (6pm – 9pm).

Join the Academy of Cheese and Brindisa’s Spanish cheese experts for an immersive tasting journey through the extraordinary world of Spanish cheese, hosted in Brindisa’s elegant Txoko space in Balham.

Across five carefully curated tasting flights, we’ll explore Spain through its cheeses – uncovering the history, culture, landscapes, traditions and techniques that have shaped one of Europe’s most diverse cheesemaking countries.

From the iconic Manchego PDO and powerful Picos Blue to distinctive goat’s cheeses, island specialities and exciting contemporary creations, this is an opportunity to taste your way across Spain while discovering the stories behind the cheeses.

Our hosts from Brindisa bring deep knowledge and experience of Spain’s cheese traditions, producers and regions, while the Academy of Cheese brings its structured, educational approach to understanding what’s on your cheese board.

Five Flights Through Spanish Cheese

Each flight will explore a different aspect of Spain’s cheesemaking story, combining guided tasting with history, context and insight.

Flight One: The Origins of Spanish Cheese

Journey back to the earliest days of cheesemaking in Spain, from evidence of pre-Roman cheese through Roman, Arabic and Christian influences.

Discover how centuries of cultural exchange helped shape Spain’s cheese traditions and why such extraordinary regional diversity developed across the country.

Flight Two: Regions, Landscapes & Traditions

Explore how Spain’s geography created distinctive pockets of cheesemaking, from the mountains of Asturias and Galicia to Castile y León and Catalonia.

Taste cheeses that demonstrate the influence of climate, topography and local traditions, and discover why regional identity is so important to Spanish cheese.

Flight Three: Milk, Breeds & Cheesemaking

Go deeper into the science and craft behind the cheeses.

We’ll explore the importance of animal breeds and milk, the development of traditional recipes and the distinctive use of thistle rennet in Spanish cheesemaking.

Taste how seemingly similar approaches can create remarkably different cheeses – and discover how breed, milk and environment all contribute to flavour and texture.

Flight Four: Island Cheeses & Modern Spain

Travel beyond mainland Spain to explore the distinctive cheesemaking traditions of the Balearic and Canary Islands.

We’ll also look at the Spanish cheese industry today, comparing artisan and industrial production and considering how new techniques, influences and approaches are creating an exciting modern cheese landscape.

Flight Five: Spain’s Great Cheese Stories

A celebration of the extraordinary range of Spanish cheese, bringing together the stories, styles and flavours explored throughout the tasting.

From powerful blues and aged sheep’s milk cheeses to soft, creamy goat’s cheeses and bold modern creations, this final flight demonstrates just how diverse Spain’s cheesemaking landscape has become.

Bring everything together with a final flight showcasing some of Spain’s most distinctive cheeses.

Thoroughly informative, engaging, well thought out, and beautifully presented, convivial, let alone mentioning the beautiful new bright venue.

Annette Street DipWSET, FWS

The Cheeses

Prepare to taste your way across Spain with a line-up of celebrated regional classics and hidden gems, including*:

• Manchego PDO – famously sweet and nutty
• Valdeón Picos Blue – punchy, spicy blue
• Peral – creamy, balanced and velvety
• Zamorano – rich and full-bodied
• Tetilla – soft, creamy and delicate
• Garrotxa – rustic Catalan goat’s cheese with a herbal, earthy rind
• Payoyo – award-winning Andalusian goat’s cheese
• Monte Enebro – ash-coated goat’s cheese with striking character
• Torta de Barros – rich, earthy and indulgent
• Mahon – a classic cheese from Menorca
• Galmesan – powerful, complex and crunchy
• Granizo Goat’s Cheese with Truffle – a soft cheese with rich, clean flavours and a gentle truffle note

*Cheeses are subject to change depending on availability.

More Than Just a Tasting

This is more than an indulgent afternoon or evening of cheese. It’s an opportunity to understand why Spanish cheese tastes the way it does, and how history, culture, milk, breed, climate, geography and cheesemaking technique all contribute to the final flavour.

Along the way, you’ll explore:

• The history and cultural influences that shaped Spanish cheesemaking
• Traditional recipes and cheesemaking techniques
• The role of animal breeds and milk in creating different flavours and textures
• The influence of climate, topography and terroir
• The Spanish cheese industry today, from artisan producers to larger-scale production
• The distinctive cheesemaking traditions of Spain’s islands
• The Academy of Cheese Cheese Library, brought to life through tasting

Whether you work professionally with cheese or simply want to deepen your knowledge and appreciation, this is a rare opportunity to taste across Spain’s extraordinary cheesemaking landscape in one sitting.

Essential Details

Date: Monday 28th September 2026
Time: 1.30pm – 4.30pm OR 6pm – 9pm
Location:  Brindisa Txoko, 9a Weir Rd, London SW12 0LT
Price: £69 PLUS VAT

Places are limited, so book now to secure your place on this unique Spanish cheese journey.

Discounts Available on Advanced Level Three Modules

Come for the cheese – and enjoy exclusive savings if you choose to go further.

Delegates attending this masterclass can benefit from discounts on selected Advanced Level Three modules, making this tasting an ideal way to deepen your understanding of cheese while exploring the Academy of Cheese pathway.

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