MARCH 2024 CHEESE CLUB

 
 

 WINE CLUB | CHEESE CLUB

ALL CLUB MEMBERS GET TO ENJOY THESE 3 CHEESES:

Truffle Tremor | Northern California, United States

Pasteurized goat’s milk
This bloomy-rinded goodie has a line of black truffle through the center that creates a savory, umami complexity to the clean, tangy paste and its peppery rind. Something as rich and coating as this cheese deserves to be coupled with a wine with some body.
From this month’s wine club lineup, this cheese pairs well with: 2022 Upsidedown Wine Rescue Rosé

Griffin | Georgia, United States

Raw cow’s milk
Next up we have this porter-washed tomme. These cows are lucky enough to graze on pasture year round, and this makes for a bright freshness in the cheese that cannot be replicated. The malty notes from the porter do not impart a beery flavor — instead they’re giving complexity, a little funk, and a warm character.
Try it with: David Hill Farmhouse Red NV

Alta Badia | Alto Adige, Italy

Pasteurized cow’s milk
This mountain cheese from high in the mountains is swarm and pastoral with just a hint of bovine. The paste is rich and coating, and it can melt like a fontina. In fact, the flavor profile is reminiscent of Fontina Val D’Aosta with its grassiness up front, a nuttiness, a little gamey, and round in its aromatics.
Try it with: 2020 Gard The Don

6-CHEESE MEMBERS ALSO GET TO ENJOY THESE 3:

Bosina | Piedmont, Italy

Pasteurized cow’s + sheep’s milk
This genre of cheese is known as a robiola, which is essentially Italy's version of brie. It’s toothsome, rich, and a tremendous representation of Piedmont's undulating terroir.
Try it with: This cheese loves Nebbiolo and Moscato d’Asti.

Gabriel Coulet Roquefort | Roquefort-Sur-Soulzon, France

Raw sheep's milk
This cheese is an utter treat. Gabriel Coulet is a small production Roquefort facility that makes THE BEST Roquefort one can find. Per its place / name’s stringent regulations, this blue is piquant and savory, with full fat, and history and culture to back its reputation for being one of the best blue cheeses in the world. And arguably the first blue ever made!
Try it with: El Porvenir 'Amauta Absoluto'

Pecorino Toscano Stagionatto | Tuscany, Italy

Raw sheep’s milk
Last up we have this aged Tuscan formaggio that screams table cheese! It’s a friendly, easy-to-eat, simple cheese with a substantial chew, and a dry crumble with an oily fatty mouthfeel all at once.  Note the nutty, verdant, slightly wooly flavor profile that’s super easy to pair with lots of different wines. So go on and experiment!
Try it with: 2022 Quinta de Santiago

 
 

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).