Queijaria Amaral
Cheese shop in Rua de Santo Ildefonso, Porto, trading since 1928 by its own account. Serra da Estrela is its specialty. Its online shop lists an aged Terrincho, marked coming soon in October 2026.
About Queijo Terrincho
Raw milk from Churra da Terra Quente ewes, known locally as terrinchas, set with animal rennet and drained slowly. The cheese is a low cylinder, 12 to 20 cm across and 3 to 6 cm high, weighing 0.7 to 1.1 kg, under a smooth, pliable, pale straw rind. The area is the Terra Quente and the Douro Superior. The specification points to the Quinta da Terrincha in the Vilariça valley as the source of both the breed's alternative name, terrincha, and the cheese's name. It has been an EU protected designation of origin since Regulation 1107/96 of 1996.
Made in: Mogadouro, Alfândega da Fé, Torre de Moncorvo, Freixo de Espada à Cinta, Mirandela, Vila Flor, Carrazeda de Ansiães and Vila Nova de Foz Côa, most of Macedo de Cavaleiros and São João da Pesqueira, and parts of Valpaços, Meda and Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, in the Terra Quente and the Douro Superior (districts of Bragança, Vila Real, Viseu and Guarda)
On the plate
Mild, clean and characteristic, with an intense aroma that is only slightly astringent. The semi-soft white paste is slightly unctuous and buttery, sometimes yielding where it is cut, with a few small eyes.
Rind: natural crust
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Queijo Terrincho
Dry Douro white Douro Valley
Our pickYoung Terrincho is mild and clean, with a slightly unctuous, buttery paste. Mineral, saline Douro whites with racy acidity cut the richness.
Medium-bodied fresh Douro red Douro Valley
Our pickYoung Terrincho is mild and buttery, so it wants a red that will not overpower it. These dry Douro reds are medium-bodied with medium tannin and high acidity, fresh enough to lift the paste.
Reserve tawny Port Douro Valley
Our pickYoung Terrincho is mild, clean and buttery. A reserve tawny is nutty and lightly sweet, an accessible partner that leaves the cheese's flavour intact.
Dry white Port, chilled Douro Valley
Our pickYoung Terrincho is mild, with a buttery paste. These dry white Ports are nutty, crisp or citrus-fresh, and served chilled, so the nuttiness meets the cheese while the chill keeps it fresh.
The grapes behind these winesTouriga FrancaTouriga NacionalMalvasia FinaViosinhoRabigato
From the source
Where to buy and taste it
Queijaria do Bolhão
Cheese stall in the Mercado do Bolhão, Porto, trading for more than 40 years by the market's account. It sells Serra da Estrela, Azeitão and island cheeses, artisanal yoghurt and requeijão.
Queijo Terrincho: questions
What milk is Queijo Terrincho made from?
Raw milk from Churra da Terra Quente ewes, set with animal rennet, according to the DOP summary and the 2016 specification published by the Portuguese agriculture directorate (DGADR).
How big is a Terrincho?
The specification gives 0.7 to 1.1 kg, 12 to 20 cm across and 3 to 6 cm high for the normal size, and a smaller merendeira size of 0.35 to 0.55 kg and 8 to 12 cm across.
How long is it aged?
At least 30 days at 5 to 12 degrees C. Aged for 90 days or more it becomes Queijo Terrincho Velho, a separate hard, red-rinded version of the same DOP.
Where is it made?
In the Terra Quente and Douro Superior of north-eastern Portugal: Mogadouro, Alfândega da Fé, Torre de Moncorvo, Freixo de Espada à Cinta, Mirandela, Vila Flor, Carrazeda de Ansiães and Vila Nova de Foz Côa, most of Macedo de Cavaleiros and São João da Pesqueira, and parts of Valpaços, Meda and Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Douro Valley
Plan the trip
Visit Queijo Terrincho country
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
Douro Valley
Porto: Cálem Cellar Tour, Interactive Museum & Wine Tasting
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Sources: protection register, tradicional.dgadr.gov.pt, eur-lex.europa.eu. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.