This Week's Tasting: June 12, 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.

At the Cowgirl Creamery in California, St. Pat heralds the spring season. A double-cream brie, it is made of organic Jersey cow's milk from a single California dairy. It is coated in wild nettles, which give a smokey, artichoke-y flavor to the mild, creamy cheese.

Smoked over native pecan wood by the Dallas Mozzarella Company, Scamorza is similar to a firm mozzarella. The 3/4# balls are dipped in wax and suspended by a string as per Italian tradition. Paula's scamorza has a great melting texture with subtle, smoky flavor.

Scharfe Maxx is an original recipe cheese developed by three Swiss cheesemakers in the canton of Thurgau. Scharfe Maxx is smooth and creamy thanks to the addition of cream to the whole thermalized milk. Scharfe, which translates to "sharp," is indeed sharp with a hint of sweetness. During its six months of aging, Scharfe Maxx is washed in an herbal brine to develop the rose-colored rind and slightly barnyardy flavor.

5 Year Cheddar is made at the Hook's Creamery in Wisconsin and, as the name suggests, is aged for five years. It is colored a deep orange with annatto and is sharp and tangy, making it a perfect cheese to melt or to snack on.

Bonne Bouche is a small disc of ripened goat cheese coated in ash, made by the Vermont Butter and Cheese Company, The cheese starts out mild and chalky, but softens and gets more piquant with age. Bonne Bouche translates to "happy mouthful."

The cheesemakers at Roth Kase in Wisconsin age Buttermilk Blue over six months to enhance its complexity and intensity.  Creamy yet crumbly,  it is versatile: great in salad, great on a cheese board.

Our wine of the week is Mayu from Vina Mayu in the Elqui Valley of Chile. It is a crisp, refreshing white made from the Pedro Ximenez grape. We taste wine all day Wednesday and from 10am to 2pm on Saturdays.

Our pairing of the week is a Pumpkin Seed Salsa from American Spoon in Michigan.

For Father's Day we've put together a bag of cheeses and treats. Check it out here or stop by the store!