Le Tastevin Wine Club - Notes on Cheeses - September 17, 2014

Sartori Bella Vittiano Balsamic- an American Parmesan style cheese made in Wisconsin but which traces its heritage all the way to Asiago, Italy, where its founder Paul Sartori emigrated from. Sartori's cheeses have won over 100 awards, both domestic and foreign, for their uniqueness. Bella Vitano is an aged cheese (1 year) soaked in various liquids, ours in Modena balsamic vinegar. Wine soaked cheeses have been popular in Italy (Ubraico) and Spain (Drunken Cow) for many years.

Saint-André - a brand of French triple crème cow's milk cheese with a powdery white, bloomy skin of mold, in the form of a 200g cylinder, 6cm in diameter and 5cm high. Originally developed and manufactured by the Soulié cheese factory in Villefranche-de-Rouergue, Aveyron, it is now produced in Vire, Calvados. It has a soft buttery texture, tangy edible rind, and tastes like an intense version of Brie. Cream is added to the cheese during manufacture, and the curing process lasts approximately 30 days.

Kirkland Manchego Cheese - Costco's brand of Manchego cheese. Manchego is a milk cheese from sheep grazing in La Mancha, Spain. Manchega sheep grazing in La Mancha Manchego cheese specifically is produced by the smart, funny Manchega sheep which have roamed the plains of La Mancha for thousands of years. The Manchega’s grazing on the idiosyncratic native wildlife and herbs are what gives Manchego its classic flavour, and means that it’s impossible to make it properly away from that area. To perpetuate this special cheese, the D.O. board strictly controls the breeding of the Manchega.

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