In Olbia there is a product with unique characteristics: the Pecorino Romano aged 120 months, a registered bet Tonino Pintus. Pecorino Romano can usually be placed on the market with a minimum maturation of 5 months as a table cheese and 8 months as a grated type. And as Tonino Pintus, a 73-year-old entrepreneur from Gallura has demonstrated, now even after 120 months: the cheese overseasoned it rested for 10 years in the cellar of the farm S'ena de Sa Pira, of the Verdeoro group, 700 meters above sea level, in the triangle between Berchideddu, Padru and Alà Dei Sardi, 25 kilometers from Olbia.
The preview cut of super-seasoned Pecorino Romano
Cheese is a Dop (Protected Designation of Origin) record-breaking, because never before has the aging been so long. Pintus, a master refiner who produces under the brand name “Green Gold Dairy“, he declared: “I sincerely believe that I was ahead of my time. It was the year 2013-2014, the price of Pecorino Romano fluctuated between 4,80 and 5,50 euros, and at that moment I had the idea of investigating the product, through long-term maturing, to evaluate its , the structure, the resistance, probe the resistance of the organoleptic capacities and evaluate possible commercial initiatives based on the result obtained. The hope was precisely that of being able to create added value. So the cheese was taken from the Agriexport warehouses and transferred to my company's cellar: there began a long process of attention and patience".
Salvatore Palitta, president of Agriexport, spoke of a "choice against the tide with respect to the Sardinian dairy tradition" and recalls that "innovation and research are in our DNA: let's think of products such as Pecorino Romano with a reduced salt content, the long-aged Riserva , to the mountain product and the last born with raw milk. With the 10-year aged Romano we went further. Our vice president Pintus stubbornly wanted to follow his own path that has brought him this far and we have supported him, also considering the encouraging results”.
“The Consortium is on the side of those who experiment and work for product innovation. As in the case of Pecorino Romano aged 120 months – he declared Gianni Maoddi, president of the Consortium for the protection of Pecorino Romano DOP at the presentation last June 17 -. In this way, diversification is created and therefore new market opportunities, meeting the tastes of consumers".
Pecorino Romano 120 months: a niche product
The system is "completely automated and is able to monitor the degree of maturation with technology following the ancient procedure of shepherds, that of a period in which there were no preservatives", explained Pintus when the super cheese was 7 years old of seasoning. It took several tries, but in the end experimentation it has proved to be a winner and the consumer can try a unique taste experience.
Pecorino 120 months is a niche product. Date the limited production, also considering the ten years of production, the price is not really for all budgets. "The price, and therefore the value of such exclusive products, is then redistributed and ends up in the liter of milk - explained Pintus - which benefits Sardinian farmers and shepherds, but also the entire sector, valued in its entirety ”. The flavor it is very decisive and the aroma is exceptional.
