Division 3.2 Description of the product to which the name in point 1 applies

‘Robiola di Roccaverano’ is a cheese made throughout the year from fresh curd subjected to ripening or maturing.

‘Robiola di Roccaverano’ PDO is cylindrical in shape with straight faces with slightly bevelled edges and a slightly convex lateral surface. The faces are between 10 and 14 cm in diameter and the lateral surface is 2,5 to 4 cm in height. Each cheese weighs between 250 and 400 grams. These parameters apply at the end of the minimum maturation period.

The reference criteria for ‘Robiola di Roccaverano’ as regards fat, protein substances and ash are as follows:

• fat: minimum 40 % of dry matter

• protein substances: minimum 34 % of dry matter

• ash: minimum 3 % of dry matter.

The organoleptic properties of ‘Robiola di Roccaverano’ cheese vary according to the degree of ripening it undergoes:

• fresh cheese ripened between 4 and 10 days: rind: this may be present in the form of a light natural bloom of mould or may be absent; external appearance: milky white or straw-yellow; paste: milky white; structure: creamy, soft; taste and flavour: delicate, rich and/or slightly sour;

• and the mature cheese ripened for 11 days or more: rind: in the form of a natural bloom of mould; external appearance: milky white or straw-yellow or slightly reddish; paste: milky white; structure: soft, slightly more compact as maturing progresses, the flavoursome part next to the rind may be creamy.

The aromas and tastes of ‘Robiola di Roccaverano’ are intensified as the cheese is matured up to the point of pungency.