This Week's Tasting: March 6, 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:

Harbison is a unique bloomy-rinded cheese from Jasper Hill in Vermont. Harbison is wrapped in bark cut from the woods around the farm. The bark not only holds the cheese's form, but also imparts a woodsy flavor to the cheese. Cut off the top of Harbison and serve the smooth, unctuous paste on a spoon.

From Baetje Farm in Missouri, Bloomsdale is inspired by the traditional French cheese Valencay. Like Valnecay, Bloomsdale is a ripened goat's milk cheese dusted with ash and shaped like a pyramid with a flattened top. The Baetje's named it for their town, Bloomsdale.

Promontory is an Irish-style cheese with a buttery, full-bodied texture and citrus-like fruity notes. This Promontory is made by the Beehive Cheese Company from Utah.

Similar to a buffalo-milk Garrotxa, Oriol is a small wheel with a fuzzy grey rind and smooth, creamy paste. Oriol is the name of the cheesemaker. His family has been making cheese on their farm near Barcelona since 1989. Delicate and fresh, Oriol is sweet and versatile.

Anne Jones of Latte Da Dairy makes aged goat cheese from her small herd in North Texas.  Latte Da Pepper Jack is based on an American original Jack with recipe with red peppers.

Made in Italy by Segio Moro, Fior D'Arancio is a smooth cow's milk blue. It is aged in barrels and bathed in Fior D'Arancio DOCG, a sweet Moscato, for a month. The cheese is topped with candied orange peels and has notes of honey, orange, and apricot.

Our wine of the week is a Lambrusco from Denny Bini in Italy . It is a festive fizzante Italian red with dark berry flavors and a vibrant acidity.

Our pairing this week is a Sour Cherry Preserve from American Spoon in Michigan.