Methodology

How the Casei Dei Index is calculated

The Casei Dei Index is a 0–100 score that condenses a cheese’s track record across the major competitions into a single comparable figure. It is not an opinion or an in-house tasting: it aggregates verified results from independent competitions and normalises them, so that two cheeses awarded in different contests can be compared fairly.

The method is public and applied identically to every cheese. Each cheese page links to the official source of every award, so anyone can check where the number comes from.

The formula, in three factors

Each award contributes a value that depends on three things:

• The weight of the competition. Not all contests weigh the same: those with greater international reach and technical rigour weigh more.
• The medal tier. We convert disparate medal systems to a common 0–100 point scale. Exception: the World Championship Cheese Contest publishes a real score out of 100, and we use that score directly.
• The freshness of the edition. A recent award reflects today’s cheese better than one from years ago, so it weighs more.

Each award contributes points × weight × freshness. To combine several awards, the best result sets the base score and every additional award adds value over the remaining margin up to 100, with diminishing returns. A single great triumph can bring the index close to its ceiling, and stacking awards across several competitions reinforces it — without letting a pile of minor medals inflate the figure artificially.

Weight per competition

Medal → points

Freshness factor

A worked example

Olavidia, by Quesos y Besos, was World Champion at the World Cheese Awards 2021 and Best Cheese of Spain at GourmetQuesos 2018. Its index is calculated as follows:

• World Cheese Awards 2021, Champion: 100 × 1.00 × 0.70 (freshness, 5 years) = 70.0
• GourmetQuesos 2018, Best Cheese of Spain: 100 × 0.80 × 0.50 (8 years) = 40.0

The best result (70.0) sets the base. The second adds 30 × 0.40 × 0.5 = 6.0 over the remaining margin. Index = 76.0. Note how freshness works: a world title from five years ago still counts, but it can no longer eclipse the winners of the latest edition — the index is a snapshot of the present, not a museum.

Sources and verification

We publish facts and data, always linking to each competition’s official source; we do not reproduce their results tables. Every award on every cheese page carries its source link. If a result cannot be verified against an official source, it does not enter the index.

Updates

The index is recalculated automatically whenever an award is added or corrected. The calendar of the major competitions — with the World Cheese Awards in Córdoba, Spain, in November 2026 as the headline event — sets when new results are incorporated.