JUNE 2023 CHEESE CLUB
WINE CLUB | CHEESE CLUB
ALL CLUB MEMBERS GET TO ENJOY THESE 3 CHEESES:
Stichelton | Nottinghamshire, England
Raw cow’s milk
First up, we have a spin on the British classic, Stilton. This guy is made in the same style, with a naturally occurring rind, loose curd structure, and powerful bluing. — the main difference is that Stichelton, by law, must be raw, while Stilton must be pasteurized. This style ends up with a bit more complexity than Stilton, which is saying a lot.
From this month’s wine club lineup, this cheese pairs well with: 2021 Alta Alella Garnatxa GX
Salt & Pepa | Olympia, Washington, USA
Pasteurized goat cheese
Coming to us from Lost Peacock Creamery in Olympia his this chevre made from spring milk. It’s fresh and bright with a waft of smoke from the added smoked salt and a peppery kick in the back palate.
Try it with: 2017 Granito del Cadalso
Daniel’s Artisan Reserve | Waterbury, Vermont, USA
Pasteurized cow’s milk
This newly released farmstead morsel is intended to be a Dutch / Italian-style hybrid. Parmigiano Reggiano and Gouda cultures are incorporated into the milk concomitantly. It’s aged for two years, which means it has a lot of structure, including a little crystallization due to the protein-breakdown that occurs during maturation. This cheese is dulcet and at the same time brothy, and it boasts notes of roasted peanuts and dried, savory herbs.
Try it with: 2021 Armas de Guerra Tinto
6-CHEESE MEMBERS ALSO GET TO ENJOY THESE 3:
Oscar Wilde Cheddar | Mitchelstown, Ireland
Pasteurized cow’s milk
This Irish cheddar is aged for at least one year, and boasts big grassy energy with hints of alliums and herbs and an acidic tang. This cheese is substantial, has a long-lasting chew, and while obviously delicious with some cold wine, an Irish person would tell you to enjoy it with whiskey or stout.
Try it with: 2021 Handwork Garnacha
Münster d’Alsace | Alsace, France
Pasteurized cow’s milk
This isn’t the Munster that the average American thinks about when she considers this brand of fromage. The Alsatian version, which is where this cheese gets its namesake, is a washed rind cheese. It’s odiferous (read: stanky), emitting wafts of scrambled eggs, boiled cabbage, braised beef, and lush vegetation. The mouthfeel is smooth with full-fatty richness, lending buttery, meaty flavors to the palatal experience and leaving you with epically funky breath. It’s delicious, just don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Try it with: 2021 La Val Albariño
Moliterno al Tartufo | Sardinia, Italy
Raw sheep's milk
Last up we have this work of edible art; a pecorino that’s piquant and loaded with umami. To start, they make a standard sheep's milk table cheese. After some aging, they rub the rind with black truffle paste, pierce holes into the cheese, and encourage the earthy, savory paste to travel throughout the wheel — similarly to how blue cheese mold is carried into a wheel to create veins. This is a bold cheese, and a little goes a long way. Shave it and let it melt on your tongue to get the full experience. Fun fact: pecora means female sheep—or ewe—in Italian; so all pecorinos are sheep’s milk cheese.
Try it with: 2020 Uva de Vida Biográfico
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).