Caseficio dell’Alta Langa, Italy

La Tur is a soft-ripened cheese made from a blend of sheep’s, cow’s and goat’s milk. It is produced by Caseficio dell’Alta Langa in the Alta Lange northern region of Italy. The cylinder shaped cheese is a light straw yellow colour with an edible soft and wrinkled rind. La Tur tastes of the sweetness of cream and butter, followed by acidic notes and yeasty flavours.  It’s packed in a cupcake-like paper, so sweet to eat.

Flavor notes: acidic, buttery, creamy, grassy and mushroomy.

Pairs with :  Lavender Ridge VineyardViognier, Roussanne, Côtes du Calaveras Blanc.

Serve with simple crackers.

Amsterdam

Based in New York, the Essex Street Cheese Company is dedicated to sourcing impeccable wheels of classic European cheeses and bringing them to the United States. They source this gouda from Fromagerie L’Amuse in Amsterdam. Unlike other goudas, this cheese is never matured in cooler temperatures, allowing it to develop fuller flavors. Made in the Netherlands with milk from Holstein Friesian cows, it is aged for two years. Because this cheese is made year-round, the flavor, as a result of the varying milk, will change slightly with the seasons. Typically, the paste is a deep amber color with well-distributed protein crystals.

Flavor Notes: nutty, caramel

Pairs with: Lavender Ridge Vineyard Roussanne

Cowgirl Creamery, West Marin, California

Named after Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County. Soft ripened, with an edible white bloomy mold. Tasty organic pasteurized cow milk from Straus Family Dairy.

Flavor notes: mellow earthy, reminiscent of white mushrooms.

Pairs with: Lavender Ridge Vineyard Mourvèdre.

Excellent dessert cheese. Single star of a cheese plate.

Switzerland

Popular since the Middle Ages, Raclette is still produced
with milk from cows that are fed fresh grass in the summer and meadow hay in the winter. The naturally tan rind, washed in brine, is tacky to the touch and at times displays small white flecks of penicillium.

Raclette is the quintessential cheese for sharing. Traditionally the melting happens in front of an open fire. Nowdays we use other methods, with the big piece of cheese facing the heat. One then regularly scrapes off the melting side onto plates accompanied by small firm potatoes , gherkins, pickled onions, and dried meat, such as jamon.

Tasting notes: fruity, grassy, floral

Pairs with: Lavender Ridge Vineyard Côtes du Calaveras Blanc