Ageing and controls

After 9 months of ageing, control process begins.

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Maturing Warehouses

The maturing warehouses are insulated and designed with equipment that regulate the temperature, the moisture level and the required aeration.
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Time

In total, the ageing can last from a minimum of nine months to more than 20 months. During this period, the cheese will undergo various important physical-chemical changes. Through these changes it will develop its unique taste.
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The care

The wheels are looked after, cleaned and turned over about every 15 days. This work is now done by using special automatic turning and brushing machines.
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Controls

After 9 months of ageing, technicians will test each wheel with a special small steel hammer.
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Small hammer

This process requires great expertise and experience, giving the technicians the opportunity to spot any defects that may have been caused by abnormal fermentation.
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Needle

They might also use a special needle: this procedure is implemented to check the scent and flavour of the cheese without damaging the wheel.
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Probe

To be absolutely certain the cheese is of the highest quality, a small instrument (which doesn’t damage the wheel) will be used to extract a small sample, 1cm in diameter and 7-8 cm long to be exact. This will be tested to check the fragrance, colour and texture of the paste.
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Fire-branded marking

If the wheel meets the requirements according to the Product Specifications, it will receive the fire-branded mark which certifies the quality of the cheese and its official “Grana Padano PDO” status.
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Screening

The wheels that do not meet the Product Specifications requirements will be “etched”: the diamond shaped “Grana” and “Padano” lozenges will be covered with “X” marks.

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See also

Quality Checks

For the Grana Padano Protection Consortium, quality is a fundamental value.
Path 20171

The maturation of Grana Padano

It is the seasoning that characterises the nuances.
Path 20171