A wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano weighs around 40 kilos and ages on wooden boards in huge warehouses. It is regularly turned, brushed and inspected. What happens is chemistry and patience: water evaporates, proteins break down into amino acids, aromas concentrate.
12 months – young and mild
The legal minimum. Soft, milky, with notes of yoghurt and fresh grass. Ideal for grating, for salads and for children. Available from us on request.
24 months – the classic
The age most Italians have at home. Balanced: sweet and savoury at once, crumbly, with the first tyrosine crystals. Goes with everything – from risotto to an aperitivo with pear and honey.
36 months – for connoisseurs
Dry, crystalline, intense. Spices, dried fruit, meat broth, a fine sharpness. A cheese for breaking, not slicing – and the ideal partner for Balsamico Riserva and a full-bodied red.
48, 60, 100 months
Rarities. With every year the cheese becomes drier and more concentrated, almost like an old wine. Such wheels are rare and expensive – we love showing them at our tastings (most recently a 100-month wheel).
How to recognise the age
- Colourfrom light yellow (12) to intense straw-yellow (36+).
- Crystalsthe more white dots, the older.
- Textureyoung cuts, old crumbles.
- Labelthe Consortium awards the seals “Export” (18+) and “Extra” (24+) – with us the age is always on the label.
