This Week's Tasting: November 1, 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

Prodigal Farm is a farmstead goat dairy in North Carolina that prides itself on the humane treatment of its animals. The farmers even transport the animals around the farm in an old school bus! Hunkadora is their small format, goat's milk brie-style cheese with vegetable ash on the outside. It is fresh and creamy in texture and tastes bright and tangy.

Main Street Jack is a new creation from Eric and Karen Tippit at Revelation Artisan Cheese in Meridian, Texas. Using raw, mostly Jersey cow's milk that they source from a dairy in nearby Hico, they make this Jack to have a semi-firm texture and sweet flavor. They rub the exterior with coffee, chocolate and pepper for a unique look and added kick.

Pepato is an italian-style farmstead cheese made by Bellwether Farms in California. Made with raw sheep's milk and studded with whole back peppercorns, Pepato is bright and tangy with a slightly crumbly texture - an excellent table cheese!

Adelegger is made with raw, organic cow's milk from seven different farmers in the Bavarian Alps region of Germany. Cheese maker Evelyn Wild repeatedly washes the rind with herb infused white wine. It is aged 14-18 months and has flavors of pineapple, peanuts, and brown butter. 

Barely Buzzed is an irish-style cheddar made by the Beehive Cheese Company in Utah. The rind is rubbed with a mix of ground coffee beans and French lavender. Sounds bizarre, we know, but it works! The coffee and lavender rub brings out rich nutty, caramel-like flavors in the cheese. The edible rind makes Barely Buzzed a standout on the cheese plate.

A true American original, Dunbarton is a blue-cheddar hybrid made by Roelli Cheese in Wisconsin. Unlike a traditional blue cheese, Dunbarton is made with a base english cheddar that is pierced with blue mold. This gives the cheese a unique savory quality, a firm texture, and thin blue veins.

Our wine of the week is a Sangue de Giuda from Costarosa in Lombardia, Italy. Made from a blend of Barbera, Croatina, Uva Rara, and Ughetta Vespolina grapes, it is slightly sparkling with notes of black fruit. We taste wine from 10am to 2pm on Saturdays.

Our pairing of the week is an Apple and Onion Preserve from American Spoon in Michigan.