AUGUST 2022 CHEESE CLUB

 
 

 WINE CLUB | CHEESE CLUB

ALL CLUB MEMBERS GET TO ENJOY THESE 3 CHEESES:

Castelmagno DOP | Piedmont, Italy

Raw cow's milk
First up, we bring you this very rare, natural-rinded mountain cheese that we’d classify in the partial blue category (it has some cute veining from aging). This unusual, rustic formaggio sometimes gets a splash of sheep's milk, depending on its availability. The paste crumbles into a pile on your palate, and absolutely loves to be splashed around with the perfect glass of cold white Italian wine.
From this month’s wine club lineup, this cheese pairs well with: 2021 Tenuta Sallier de la Tour Inzolia Sicilia

Cherry Valley Dairy Rose Herb Butter | Duvall, Washington, USA

Cow’s milk butter
Not to brag, but this is the best butter produced in the state of Washington (okay we’re bragging). Summer butter is the best butter the cows graze outside in meadow pastures and eat up native grasses, herbs, flowers, and whatever other fresh, Cherry Valley summer fare they choose to munch. The resulting butter is clean and bright, and the rose petals and garrigue-type herbs add an extra “ahh” element. Try it on milk chocolate or spread it on radishes from your garden.
Try it with: 2021 Librandi Ciro Rosato or Mario Lucchetti Brut Rosé

Corsaro Nero | Calabria + Sicily + Sardinia, Italy

Pasteurized sheep and cow’s milk
This table cheese blend is often used like pecorino, so enjoy it casually, swap it out in recipes, or grate it on top of your pasta, salad, and really, whatever else you’re eating. A cheese this substantial deserves a wine with the same amount of oomph.
Try it with: 2019 Argiolas Monica di Sardegna Perdera

6-CHEESE MEMBERS ALSO GET TO ENJOY THESE 3:

Bio Blaarkop Gouda | The Netherlands

Raw cow's milk
This organic, hard-to-find Dutchie is aged for six months and named after the Blaarkop cow — the breed that bestows the milk for this delicious cheese. These ruminants eat grass year-round, and their pasture lies in a meadow where they ingest wild flowers, herbs, native grasses, alliums, and all the things you’d typically find in a meadow. The small batch paste is velveteen and the flavors are warm, brown buttery, nutty, and floral. Melt thin shavings on your tongue for a surprisingly complex flavor profile, considering its youthful maturity. It’s pretty rare to find an unpasteurized gouda, as most of the gouda we have access to in the U.S. is industrial and laden with preservatives. Not this guy!
Try it with: 2019 Walter Massa 'Fuso' Barbera Piemonte, or your favorite beer

Tomme Brebis Chèvre | Helette, Basque Country, France

Pasteurized sheep and goat’s milk
This natural-rinded cheese has a clean, supple paste and sings of mountainous terroir. It gets some rich nuttiness from the ewe’s milk and a deliciously goaty punch from the. . .goat’s milk :)
Try it with: 2019 Argiolas Monica di Sardegna Perdera

Ewephoria | The Netherlands

Pasteurized sheep’s milk
This aged gouda-style cheese is personality-plus. There’s a crystalline note, thanks to the crystalized amino acids present (a result of protein breakdown), a substantial chew, and a lingering, nutty, praline note that’s warm and satisfying. The sheep are treated like family, and the farmer’s wife says they eat better than her children, so you know it’s going to be good. This cheese is fantastic with chocolate and other desserty fare, especially if you’ve been saving a bottle of port or other dessert wine for the perfect moment — this is it!
Try it with: 2019 Walter Massa 'Fuso' Barbera Piemonte

 
 

AND SOME TIPS TO KEEP YOUR CHEESE HAPPY AT HOME

  • Protect your cheese from drying out by keeping it in your fridge in a lidded container (like tupperware), a plastic baggie, or the crisper drawer.

  • After opening, always use fresh plastic wrap for any cheese you’re not planning to eat within a day, unless it’s being kept in a container (which we recommend).

  • In general, we suggest eating your cheese within a week or so of purchasing. Some cheeses will last longer, but, you know, why wait!

  • Keep bloomy rinds and blues separated when possible. The molds are quite zealous and will grow on any cheese they can latch onto, so just keep them in separate containers and you’ll be fine.

  • A word about mold: If it’s growing on your semi-firm or firm cheeses, just cut it off and eat it! This white and blue mold is just fine — these cheeses lack the water to host the nasty molds. But if mold is growing on your fresh mozzarella, feta, cream cheese, or fresh chèvre, throw it out.  The amount of water in these cheeses provides a great environment for the nasty stuff. If you start to see mold, you can be sure that the filaments are already running throughout the cheese :(

  • For the best flavors, take your cheese out of the fridge for an hour or so before serving. When cheeses are too cold, all their delicious flavors, aromas, and textures get shy. Serve at room temperature to enjoy to the fullest.

This month’s cheese was carefully curated by Seattle’s Resident Cheese Lady, Rachael Lucas, ACS CCP, CCSE. Rachael is a cheese buyer for the Ballinger Thriftway in Shoreline, a fromage writer for tastewashingtontravel.com, and she’s on the Board of Directors for WASCA (Washington State Cheesemaker’s Association).