Pazo de Anzuxao (Lácteos Anzuxao)
Dairy beside a pazo with origins in 1713, in the Deza near Lalín (inland Pontevedra province, outside Rías Baixas), making Tetilla and Arzúa-Ulloa; guided visit with tasting, groups book ahead.
About Arzúa-Ulloa
The cheese Galicia produces and consumes most, according to the organisers of the Arzúa cheese fair. A lenticular wheel, usually 18 to 20 cm across and 6 to 8 cm high (the register allows up to 26 cm and 3.5 kg), with a thin, elastic, glossy yellow rind. The ivory paste is soft with a few small, irregular eyes. It is made from raw or pasteurised cow's milk, and a farmstead version, Arzúa-Ulloa de Granxa, must use only the maker's own herd. It was recognised as a Denominación de Origen in 1995 and entered the EU register of protected designations in 2010. The core area is around Arzúa and Melide in A Coruña, with the DOP also reaching Pontevedra municipalities such as Lalín, Silleda and A Estrada.
Made in: Municipalities along the Ulla valley in A Coruña, Lugo and Pontevedra provinces, from Arzúa and Melide to Chantada, Lalín and A Estrada
On the plate
Lactic, slightly acid and lightly salted, with butter and yogurt notes; sweeter flavours appear as it matures, according to the Arzúa cheese fair organisers.
Rind: natural crust
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Arzúa-Ulloa
Dry Albariño Rías Baixas
Our pickFresh Arzúa-Ulloa is lactic, slightly acid and lightly salted, with butter and yogurt notes. The high acidity of young, unoaked Albariño echoes that lactic edge and keeps the soft, buttery paste from feeling heavy.
O Rosal-style blend (Albariño with Loureiro and other Galician grapes) Rías Baixas
Our pickThese blends add Loureiro, often with Treixadura or Caíño Blanco, to Albariño for a floral lift over high acidity. That lift suits the butter and yogurt notes of fresh Arzúa-Ulloa, and the acidity keeps its soft paste light.
The grapes behind these winesAlbariño
From the source
Where to buy and taste it
Cheese experiences nearby
Festa do Queixo de Arzúa
Arzúa's cheese fair, a Festa de Interese Turístico de Galicia built around Arzúa-Ulloa, with a producers' fair, workshops, a tapas contest and concerts. Arzúa is in A Coruña province, outside the Rías Baixas wine area, in Arzúa-Ulloa's home country.
Feira do Requeixo e Mel de As Neves
Fair devoted to requeixo and honey in As Neves, in the Condado do Tea subzone inside the Rías Baixas wine area. It has run since 1991 and was declared a Festa de Interese Turístico de Galicia in 2013; the Condado-Paradanta cooperative organises it.
Festa do Queixo San Simón da Costa
Vilalba's cheese fair for the DOP San Simón da Costa, with showcooking, cheese tastings paired with sake, cava and Ribeiro wines, a children's cooking workshop and evening concerts. Vilalba is in the Terra Chá in the north of Lugo province, outside the Rías Baixas wine area.
Visit and tasting at Pazo de Anzuxao
A visit to the Anzuxao dairy beside a pazo in the Deza, inland in Pontevedra province and outside the Rías Baixas wine area: a walk round the grounds, an audiovisual on cheesemaking and a tasting of Galician cheeses, with a view of production through a glass wall when the visit coincides with cheesemaking. Groups book ahead.
Cheese stalls at the Mercado de Abastos of Santiago
Santiago's public market, in A Coruña province, north of Pontevedra and outside the Rías Baixas wine area. Its cheese stalls include Máis que Queixos, Chacinería Seco (Galician and imported cheeses) and Chacinería Hernández (national and imported cheeses).
Arzúa-Ulloa: questions
How big is an Arzúa-Ulloa?
The register allows up to 26 cm across, 5 to 12 cm high and 0.5 to 3.5 kg. The most common size is 18 to 20 cm across and 6 to 8 cm high, according to Galician Wikipedia.
Which wine goes with Arzúa-Ulloa?
Sources differ. Galician Wikipedia names light white wines such as Ribeiro or Albariño; Spanish Wikipedia names full-bodied reds. Spanish Wikipedia adds quince paste or honey if it is eaten plain.
What is Arzúa-Ulloa de Granxa?
A version made only from the milk of the cheesemaker's own cows, with the same characteristics as the standard cheese, according to Spanish Wikipedia.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Rías Baixas
Plan the trip
Visit Arzúa-Ulloa country
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
Rías Baixas
Rías Baixas Albariño Experience: Winery Visit & Cheese
All 317 experiences in Rías BaixasBooking links go to our partners (GetYourGuide, Viator, Zen Hotels), who may pay us a commission. It never decides what we cover. Editorial standards.
Sources: protection register, queseros.com, www.festadoqueixo.org. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.