Eli Gorrotxategi, from La Leze, wins the XXXIX Ordizia Txapeldun Grand Prize

The winner came very close to the score needed for the golden cheese, which was ultimately not awarded.

Generic image: a golden cheese wheel with a blue ribbon, on a rustic wooden table, soft natural light.
AI

Generic image: a golden cheese wheel with a blue ribbon, on a rustic wooden table, soft natural light.

Eli Gorrotxategi, representing the La Leze cheese dairy, has won the XXXIX Ordizia Txapeldun Grand Prize, held in Ordizia's Plaza Nagusia.

Gorrotxategi achieved 8.95 points, a score very close to that required to award the golden cheese, although it was ultimately not granted.
The second position was secured by Unai Lekuona Ruiz de Luzuriaga, from Araia, with 8.49 points; and third place went to Julen Arburua, representing Kortaria S.C. (Lekaroz), with 8.48 points.
This year's competition featured the ten most recent winners of September's cheese contests. The event aims to acknowledge the work of producers under the Idiazabal Designation of Origin and the region's cheesemaking tradition.
Based on information from the official source: Ayuntamiento de Ordizia (14/10/2026)