What makes a cheese as unique as Fontina AOC? One could say its processing, or the recipe with which it is produced. But also, another essentially true thing, for the properties of milk from which it derives, because of the many positive characteristics of the high-altitude pastures on which the Aosta Valley cows feed.
These are essentially all true statements and, indeed, it is often precisely the sum of unique characteristics that contributes to the final result of excellence, as in the case, precisely, of Fontina DOP from Valle d'Aosta, which is very commonly, but improperly, referred to as Fontina valdostana. Last but certainly not least, contributing to the value of the work carried out for decades by the Protection Consortium is also respect for nomenclature. There is no doubt between Fontina DOP and Fontina valdostana: the former is correct, the latter risks being misleading, when it is not even an attempt at imitation.
So that productions always maintain high standards, and above all to ensure that uniqueness which distinguishes Fontina PDO, the Fontina PDO Producers' and Protection Consortium has been working tirelessly since 1952 to defend one of the most prestigious Italian cheeses in Italy and throughout the world. And this is why it defends its production through a specification, starting with the correct nomenclature.
The Producers' and Protection Consortium: a story that has continued for 70 years.
The Consortium Produttori e Tutela della Fontina DOP, which includes Fontina producers, was founded in 1952. Over time, following developments in Fontina production, it evolved into its present form. The Consortium, in its present form, came into being in 2002 and is responsible for the protection of the PDO mark also in order to protect production from those imitations that perhaps under the name Fontina valdostana actually conceal a poor quality product that is not selected or controlled.
It is well known that the first traces Fontina's history sinks into the’antiquities. But with a ministerial decree of 1957, the Consortium for the Protection of Fontina, which had in fact been created only a few years earlier, was given the task of supervising the production and trade of Fontina, understood of course as the Fontina PDO, which is also given the exclusive name of Fontina.
Sixty-five years have passed since then, and the mark placed by the Consortium on the cheese wheels certifies the quality of the product and protects the consumer from possible attempts at imitation, which are not lacking in many countries, especially outside the EU. Since 1996, there has been recognition of the PDO: the European Commission, in a draft regulation, includes along with six other Italian cheeses the Protected Designation of Origin “Fontina”. From protecting production, the Consortium is now also called upon to protect this important seal.
Attention to each cheese that is branded: what the Consortium does for Fontina PDO
If, therefore, Fontina has traditionally gone through various moments in which it has been produced according to the handing down of a territorial recipe, or simply with the tam tam of a centuries-old word of mouth, at a certain point in the last century, it actually began to be produced in accordance at Production Rules for Fontina PDO, respecting precise characteristics of shape, weight, diameter, heel and organoleptic characteristics that make it the Fontina PDO that we know today.
To enforce this disciplinary body is the Control Body, which checks all the rules of the production cycle, from the properties of the milk to the feeding of the dairy farmers to the whole process of processing, maturing and packaging.
In particular, the Consortium then deals with marcaatura defined by the Specification. And only those cheeses that pass the checks and meet the necessary requirements can bear the mark that distinguishes the Fontina PDO product and indelibly differentiates it from imitations.
Each step of the “supply chain” must be carried out to perfection to avoid defects
As with all quality food products, to obtain a good Fontina PDO, and bring it to maturity without imperfections, it is necessary to verify a long and balanced series of operations in close connection with each other.
If even a single condition in the “chain” were not respected during the transformation of milk into cheese, there would be a risk of interrupting a chain that would result in not obtaining a perfect Fontina PDO.
For these reasons, the supervision of the Consortium is closely linked to achieving guaranteed, fault-free marketing.
What could be the anomalies on the cheese during production? The most frequent are caused by bacteria, i.e. when the anti-dairy microbial groups take over from the dairy ones, resulting in altered fermentation processes.
The reasons for these alterations may depend on a number of factors: the bromatological characteristics of the milk, hygiene during collection, transport and processing, or perhaps insufficient skill on the part of the cheesemaker or his mistakes.
Whatever the reasons, the Consortium's control allows non-compliant forms to be discarded and market only a Fontina PDO of the highest quality.
Italiano 
English (UK) 
Français 
Deutsch 
Svenska