Only the best can participate, and only the best go home with a star. The Great Taste Awards is a competition for food and beverage excellence from around the world. The results of Great Taste 2025, the prestigious global event dedicated to the evaluation and accreditation of food and beverage products, were announced today: Caseificio Garau di Mandas has earned an impressive 8 stars. An exceptional achievement for the historic Trexenta company.
Organized by the Guild of Fine Food, this year's edition attracted an all-time record number of entries: 14,340 products from 110 countries, judged by over 500 experts. Great Taste is distinguished by a multi-level judging process based on a blind tasting. Products are tested without labels, packaging, or references to the manufacturer. The jury evaluates each entry based on precise criteria: taste, appearance, aroma, texture, and mouthfeel.
Founded in 1994, Great Taste is organized by the Guild of Fine Food. Judges include the most discerning palates, including food critics, chefs, restaurateurs, retail buyers, cooks, producers, and a host of journalists and social media influencers from across the food industry. Every year, thousands of competitors compete to earn the most coveted "Great Taste" sticker on their products, considered the Olympics of food. "We've always participated in global cheese competitions, but we hadn't yet competed with food and beverages from around the world," say producers Marina and Mimmo Garau. "Prizes translate into stars, and receiving even one is synonymous with excellence and international recognition. We've taken home eight, and we can only be extremely happy and proud, and increasingly motivated to produce Sardinian cheese excellence."
The “Giunco” cheese was awarded 2 stars for the following reason: “It has an aesthetically pleasing appearance and an aroma of nuts and spices. The flavor is well-balanced with a good level of saltiness. It is an honest and beautiful cheese, full of flavor; firm on the palate but releasing a pleasant array of herbs, nuts, and spices.” “Colline di Mandas” earned 2 stars: “An extremely inviting cheese, strong but not too spicy. The salt crystals from the maturation provide an interesting texture to complement the nutty tones.” “Granduca di Mandas” one star: “A pecorino with a floral aroma, with a fruitiness and a truly powerful personality. The aroma is intense and inviting, rich in sheep's milk and creamy to the touch.” “Su Nuraxi” one star: “A sheep's milk cheese with a pale, creamy texture and offering richness and a moist sensation on the palate. The saltiness is satisfying and the acidity is well-balanced.” A star also goes to "Cardedu": "A young Pecorino with a well-formed, dry rind and a very uniformly colored paste, deliciously creamy on the palate." The "Su Nuraxi Semi-Mature" Pecorino earned a star: "It offers the expected aroma, rich with the character of sheep's milk. Its soft texture, a supple touch, offers a fresh flavor with a savory note."
