Asturias, a small mountainous region in northern Spain, is figuring ever more prominently on the film map. Woody Allen’s Cannes entry, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” captures the region’s ...

But above all else, Asturias might be best known for its incredible cheeses. The most famous of all is their cabrales, a blue cheese that is aged in limestone caves and coveted throughout Spain.

I fell in love with Asturias four years ago while judging the World Cheese Awards in Oviedo. This wild, untamed region of northern Spain struck a familiar chord, evoking scenes from Vicky Cristina ...