This Week's Tasting: April 3, 2017

Every week at Dairymaids we select six cheeses to include in our free cheese tasting. Whenever we are open, we are tasting cheese. We stock over 150 cheeses, so if these 6 don’t please you, we will find you the cheeses that do.

This week's cheese are:

Petit Nuage, which translates to "little cloud;" is a soft French-style sheep's milk cheese. It is made at the Landmark Creamery in Wisconsin with milk from the nearby Enloe Family Farm.

The Von Trapp brothers (yes, they are related to the Sound of Music Von Trapps) make Oma, a lovely washed rind cheese from raw, organic milk. Not too pungent with a dry, patterned rind, Oma has a rich, meaty flavor. The Von Trapps named the cheese for their grandmother, "Oma," in German.

Father and son cheesemakers, Dave and Matt Eagle have partnered with dairyman Mike Moyers to make Granbury Gold, a creamy, Dutch-style cheese. Moyers raises Brown Swiss cows that are prized for their high-quality milk. The Eagles transport this milk to their cheesemaking facility in Lapin, Texas, where it becomes Granbury Gold. A Gouda recipe at the start, Granbury has a smooth texture and mild, tangy flavor.

In order for a cheese to be called Raschera D'Alpeggio, the cows providing the milk must graze at high elevation in the Cueno province of Italy.  Aged about 6 months, this semi-firm cheese has a bright tangy start with an alpine-style notes on the finish. 

Roelli Haus Select is a new release from fourth generation Wisconsin cheesemaker Chris Roelli and is sure to add to his building acclaim. It is a savory, sharp cheddar aged over one year at Roelli Cheese. The bright orange color is thanks to the addition of annatto, a flavorless natural colorant favored by cheddar makers --especially those in Wisconsin!

"From the domain of the Caveman," also known as the caves at Rogue Creamery, comes Caveman Blue, a delicious naturally-rinded, aged blue. With a recipe used by Rogue since the 40s, Caveman Blue is deep yellow in color with blue bite balanced by a smooth, vanilla-like flavor.

Our wine of the week is Crios from Susana Balbo in Argentina. This full-bodied Malbec is vibrant and dry with notes of strawberry, red cherry, and hints of spice. 

Our pairing this week is a Fig and Almond Cake from Spain.