Le Tastevin Wine Club - Notes on Cheeses – December 11, 2024

The cheeses and bagettes are from the Plum Market store in Ann Arbor. The cheese have been selected because they have high fat content that help with cutting through tonights tannic, Italian selections. Both are slightly salty on the attack, but not on the finish.

Fontina (unpasteurized cow’s milk) is a classic Italian cheese made in the Aosta Valley since the 12th century. There are many Fontina cheeses made with alternative names such as "Fontinella", "Fontal", and "Fontella" but the Italian Fontina, Fontina Val d'Aosta, identified by a Consorzio (Consortium) stamp is the original and most famous. The other versions are much milder than the original Fontina. Italian Fontina has a natural (non-edible) rind that turns tan to orange-brown with aging. It is traditionally made from unpasteurized milk of the Valdaostan Red Spotted cows grazing on the plains of Aosta Valley. The texture and flavor of Fontina depend on how long it has been aged. The texture can vary from semi-soft to firm and the flavors from mild and rich to more robust and overpowering. Usually, fontina is aged for 90 days. The interior of is pale cream in color and riddled with holes known as "eyes". With a fat content of 45%, the cheese is very rich and creamy which gets nuttier with aging. This versatile cheese can be used to make fondues, and similar Italian dishes.

Gorgonzola Dolce (pasteurized cow's milk) is a high moisture blue cheese with delicate blue and green veining. After aging for 45 days in warm rooms, it is milder than Gorgonzola Piccante with a milky and mildly piquant flavor and creamy, spreadable texture. The Leonardi family behind IGOR has been making Gorgonzola in Novara for four generations, with the mom, dad, and brother still working at the plant. They have won numerous international awards over the years. While staying true to the traditions behind this important cheese, they have also incorporated modern production techniques for the best quality and consistency. The cheese comes in foil-wrapped and sealed quarters. The first Gorgonzola ever to be produced dates back to the end of the ninth century in a small village near Milan called Gorgonzola, hence the name. Gorgonzola was initially referred to as green stracchino being produced from the milk of weary (i.e. stracco in the local dialect) cows recovering from the long descent from the high mountain pastures to the valley, where they would produce a kind of milk particularly suitable for the production of soft cheese. Over the centuries, the production of Gorgonzola has spread throughout a vast but homogenous territory, so that now Novara, a land rich of water, pastures, and livestock, has become the new capital of Gorgonzola. Indeed, the Novara area, because of its geographical location situated between Monte Rosa and the Ticino River, offers the best climate conditions to grow grape vines and produce high-quality foods. A peculiarity first acknowledged by the historian Tacitus in Roman times.

Page last updated: December 10, 2024 (EB)

©2024 Le Tastevin wine club
Members: Please contact the webmaster for updates and changes to information contained in this web site.