This Week's Tasting: October 24, 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.

The folks at Sweet Grass Dairy believe great cheese comes from fresh grass and happy cows. On their sustainable farm in Thomasville, Georgia they pasture feed their Jersey cows to get the milk which makes the incomparably smooth brie-style, Green Hill. The rind is thin and the paste is creamy and rich - arguably America's best Camembert.

This Goat Gouda is the newest release from CKC Farms in Blanco, TX. Cheesemaker Chrissy Omo ages this cheese for a short period in wax, so it retains its smooth texture and sweet flavor. 

Goldette Tommette is a small semi-firm wheel with a lightly washed rind made by Bleating Heart in California. Made from rich raw jersey milk, at 2 to 3 months of age the cheese has a firm but creamy mouth feel, pleasing aroma & a nice buttery tang. The name refers to the paste's golden hue -thanks to the grass feeding of the Jersey cows.

Rosé fanatics, meet your new favorite cheese. Known for his Ubriaco cow’s milk cheeses soaked in various wines and beer, Sergio Moro’s latest is soaked in organic La Jara Pinot Grigio rosé, a dry, elegant sparkling wine. Umbriaco Pinot Rosé is a semi firm cheese with a light fruity aroma. It retains the flavors of the wine without that sharp alcoholic bite present in some wine soaked cheeses. The blush colored rind is topped with dried rose petals; it’s almost too pretty to eat.

Bleu Mont is a Wisconsin cheddar is made using the traditional English method of wrapping in cloth. After aging over a year in Bleu Mont's cave, the cheddar develops and crystalline "crunch" and deep, complex flavors. One man, Willi Lehner, makes the cheese at Bleu Mont Dairy. He comes from a family of Swiss cheesemakers and studied cheesemaking in Switzerland.

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

Our wine of the week is Synthesis from Halter Ranch in Paso Robles, California. A blend of Cabernet, Petit Syrah, and Petit Verdot grapes, it is smooth and full-bodied with notes of black and red fruit. We taste wine from 10am to 2pm on Saturdays.

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