“Over the three days there will be thousands of cheeses, wines and regional products to taste with a ‘cheese summit’ and a gastronomic festival open to the general public and free of charge,” the organisation said in a statement.

From the 15th to the 17th of November, the Pavilhão Multiúsos, in Viseu, hosts the first edition in Portugal of the international cheese competition, the World Cheese Awards (WCA), commonly known as the “Oscar of Cheese”, which is in its 36th edition.

“Viseu will be the stage for a historic edition, receiving the largest Portuguese delegation of all time, with 182 cheeses in the race for the “Oscar do Queijo” and around 100 stands from national producers at Tenda Viseu”.

According to the statement, during the three days, “fans and connoisseurs” of cheese have the opportunity to “taste some of the best and most exclusive examples”, in a total of 4,784 cheeses, from 47 countries that will be subject to the “demanding jury made up of more than around 250 experts from 40 nationalities”.

According to the person responsible and promoter of the event in Portugal, Bruno Filipe Costa, it is also an opportunity to “discover and get to know up close the national and regional producers that make Portugal so proud.

“And they project Portuguese cheeses across borders every day, in a tribute to the incredible and incomparable legacy of cheese production in the different regions of the country”, he highlights in the press release.

The organization also says that, in addition to the tastings, there is also the possibility, on November 15th, of “following, first-hand, the cheese competition, from a gallery, where you can follow the judging process”.

“Including the World Cheese Awards super jury, who will decide which cheese is the World Champion in a live cheese evaluation”, highlights Bruno Filipe Costa.

The weekend features several activities around cheese, from guided tours of the WCA grounds, which include tastings of a selection of cheeses accompanied by a member of the jury, a producers' fair, tastings and product presentations, as well as pairings of wines with cheeses.

In total, the WCA 2024 Arena has 2,400 square meters for the “largest world cheese competition”, which includes the awards ceremony and also a “super ‘gold’ space reserved for the 20 best cheeses in the world”.

In addition to this area, visitors can “tour the 1,500 square meters of Tenda Viseu, reserved for producers in the region, with more than 100 stands, and which also brings together some of the most exclusive global brands”.

“Over the three days, there will also be commented tastings, tastings, ‘workshops’ on cheese and regional products, eight ‘show cooking’ sessions with some of the best national chefs, live music, various activities around cheese and many surprises” , anticipates the organization.