Category Archives: Cheese Club
August Cheese Club: Iowa
Central Coast Creamery
Goat Gouda
Paso Robles, California
Central Coast Creamery’s flagship cheese bursts of fruity and caramel aromas that will transport you to the sun-soaked hills of California the moment you cut into it. Its ivory-colored paste is semi-firm, yet crumbly, tacky, and slightly chalky and crystalline. It has starchy flavors of tart apples, grass and crusty bread. This award winning gouda is made with 100% goat’s milk and is aged for 4 to 6 months.
Awards:
- 2016 – American Cheese Society (ACS) – 2nd Place Award
- 2016 – World Cheese Championship – 3rd Place Award
- 2014 – World Cheese Championship – 3rd Place Award
- 2013 – United States Cheese Championship – Best of Class
- 2011 – United States Cheese Championship – 2nd Place Award
- 2010 – Best of Show – American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA)
- 2010 – American Cheese Society (ACS) – 3rd Place Award
PRiMO
Raspberry Habanero Preserves
Denver, Colorado
These raspberry habanero preserves have a straight up red raspberry flavor with delightful tropical heat that unfolds into a long satisfying finish. On average, PRiMO cooks their preserves for one minute or less, so the fruit’s natural flavor shines in every bite.
PAIRING RECOMMENDATIONS:
Pairs great with this month’s Goat Gouda and a glass of wine from any of our August Wine Club selections. It also pairs beautifully with a soft-ripened buttery cheese- think Delice de Bourgogne, Camembert, Kunik (Nettle Meadow Farm) and semi-soft, washed-rind cheeses such as Epoisses and Taleggio. For beer, reach for a crisp Amber Ale as well.
WINESTYLES: Bold or Crisp
BEERSTYLES: Crisp & Clean
PRiMO: PRiMO is a small independent producer that create their own unique flavors and recipes and lovingly hand-craft them in small batches. They obsess over every detail- from the ingredients they source to how they might pair with cheese, salumi and wine, and everything in between. Learn more >
Information © PRiMO and Zuercher & Co. – All Rights Reserved.
Join our Cheese Club and bring home a match made in heaven!
If you enjoy pairing cheese with wine, this is your club! Each month you’ll discover specialty and artisan cheeses to pair with your Wine Club. Monthly cheese selections are chosen by your local WineStyles participating location. It’s the perfect opportunity to Taste, Learn and Enjoy® amazing artisan cheese every month! Only $19.99/month and your wine won’t be lonely! Click to learn more >
July Cheese Club: Iowa
Carr Valley
Cranberry Chipotle Cheddar
La Valle, Wisconsin
Made from pasteurized cow’s milk, this white cheddar has cranberries and chipotle peppers added, which contributes to the subtle heat and a very warm finish.
Acclaims: Gold 2023 Los Angeles Int. Dairy Competition; Gold 2022 Los Angeles Int. Dairy Competition; 2nd Place 2017 US Championship Cheese Contest.
WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS:
Pair this cheese with a Shiraz from South Africa (or even a sparkling Shiraz). For beer, reach for a lager.
WINESTYLES: Mellow
BEERSTYLES: Crisp & Clean
CARR VALLEY CHEESE: Owned and operated by the Cook family, Carr Valley Cheese Company is over 100 years old. Nestled amongst the rolling hills and lush pastures of central Wisconsin, they remain one of Wisconsin’s traditional cheese plants, famous for making cheese the old-fashioned way!
Information © Carr Valley Cheese. – All Rights Reserved.
Information © Zuercher & Co. – All Rights Reserved.
Neal’s Yard Dairy
Montgomery’s Cheddar
Somerset, England
Since 1911, Montgomery’s Cheddar has been handmade at Manor Farm with milk from the 200 Friesian cows that roam their 1200 acre farm and produced within twenty miles of the town of Cheddar. Montgomery’s Cheddar is dry and flakey with deep, rich, fruity and savory flavors with an incredibly long finish.
WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS:
Pair with a red wine, such as a Pinot Noir, Malbec or Cabernet Sauvignon. For beer, pair with an IPA or an English Cider.
WINESTYLES: Bold
BEERSTYLES: Hoppy & Bitter
MONTGOMERY’S CHEESE: For over three generations, the Montgomery family has been farming in North and South Cadbury in Somerset since Jamie Montgomery’s grandfather purchased the farm in 1911. Elizabeth Montgomery took over in the 1960s, ensuring the high quality standards continued and nurtured the recipe for 30 years. When Jamie inherited the role of cheese master of the family, he commited every aspect of production to his cheese, from the quality of the grass his cows graze on to the taste and texture of the final product. Learn more >
Information © Montgomery Cheese – All Rights Reserved.
Information © Zuercher & Co. – All Rights Reserved.
Join our Cheese Club and bring home a match made in heaven!
If you enjoy pairing cheese with wine, this is your club! Each month you’ll discover specialty and artisan cheeses to pair with your Wine Club. Monthly cheese selections are chosen by your local WineStyles participating location. It’s the perfect opportunity to Taste, Learn and Enjoy® amazing artisan cheese every month! Only $19.99/month and your wine won’t be lonely! Click to learn more >
June Cheese Club: Iowa
Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co.
TomaProvence
Point Reyes Station, California
The rich texture and buttery flavor that make Toma a true American original provides a perfect base for a line of cheeses that are as unique as they are delicious. This pasteurized, cow’s milk cheese has a full, savory, Mediterranean flavor. Herbs de Provence – a blend that includes rosemary, basil, marjoram, savory and wild thyme – have been added to complement the creamy butter notes of Toma (thus the name, Toma Provence). Great as a snacking cheese, or pair with olives, a fresh baguette and an abundant charcuterie board and a buttery Chardonnay. Learn more about the history of the Giacomini family dairy farm and the new generation of sister cheesemakers at Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese. Be sure to check out Jane Pauly’s feature segment below, that aired on NBC’s Today show in July 2013.
WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS:
Pair this cheese with a crisp Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, or a buttery Chardonnay. For beer, look for a hoppy IPA.
WINESTYLES: Crisp or Fruity
BEERSTYLES: Hoppy & Bitter
Information © Points Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. – All Rights Reserved.
© Video by NBC Today’s Show
PRFC Today Show from Great Matter on Vimeo.
Isigny Ste-Mère
Abbaye Ste-Mère St- Paulin
Normandy, France
This pasteurized cow’s milk cheese is a member of the Port-du-Salut family. Originally made by the Trappist monks of Saint-Paulin, it can be recognized by its fine, moist rind, its yielding texture and its slightly salty taste. With its semi-soft texture, this French cheese has a smooth, fruity taste with a slightly stronger finish. Its natural mildness gives way to both taste and character.
WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS:
Enjoy this cheese with a Chenin Blanc or a Beaujolais. For beer, this cheese will pair beautifully with a Hefeweizen, Amber Ale, Belgium Ale (any Trappist Ale), or a Normandy Cider.
WINESTYLES: Crisp or Fruity
BEERSTYLES: Crisp & Clean or Fruity & Spicy
Information © Zuercher & Co. – All Rights Reserved.
Join our Cheese Club and bring home a match made in heaven!
If you enjoy pairing cheese with wine, this is your club! Each month you’ll discover specialty and artisan cheeses to pair with your Wine Club. Monthly cheese selections are chosen by your local WineStyles participating location. It’s the perfect opportunity to Taste, Learn and Enjoy® amazing artisan cheese every month! Only $19.99/month and your wine won’t be lonely! Click to learn more >
May Cheese Club: Iowa
Piave Aged
Veneto, Italy
Aged for a minimum of 1 year, this Italian mountain cheese is made with pasteurized cow’s milk. It has a dense texture, similar to a young parmesan; at first rich, tangy, caramel-sweet and nutty in flavor, with a delayed component of citrus notes in its finish. Piave is regarded as a cheese that gains character as it ages.
WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS:
This cheese pairs beautifully with with Mellow or Bold Italian wines, such as Valpolicella, Amarone,or Chianti (Sangiovese). For craft beers, pair with a light Pilsner or Lager, such as Italian Peroni or a Saison.
WINESTYLES: Mellow or Bold
BEERSTYLES: Crisp & Clean
Information © Zuercher & Co. – All Rights Reserved.
Cooper’s Hill
Double Gloucester
Great Britain
Cooper’s Hill celebrates a famous cheese rolling tradition enshrined in English folklore. Every year, a wheel of Double Gloucester cheese is sent down the hill and the first person chasing it to cross the finish line receives the wheel of the cheese and all the accolades. This year’s event is scheduled for May 29, 2023. Learn more about this fun tradition >
This pasteurized cow’s milk cheese combines the creamy texture and rounded taste of a quintessential British Double Gloucester with the tang of added chives and onions.
WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS:
This cheese suits Mellow or Bold wine styles, such as a Syrah or Spanish Rioja wine. Silky white wine style, such as a Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre region in Loire Valley, France. For craft beer, a natural partner would be British or American Brown Ales.
WINESTYLES: Bold or Mellow red wines or Silky white wines.
BEERSTYLES: Fruity & Spicy
Information © Zuercher & Co. – All Rights Reserved.
Join our Cheese Club and bring home a match made in heaven!
If you enjoy pairing cheese with wine, this is your club! Each month you’ll discover specialty and artisan cheeses to pair with your Wine Club. Monthly cheese selections are chosen by your local WineStyles participating location. It’s the perfect opportunity to Taste, Learn and Enjoy® amazing artisan cheese every month! Only $19.99/month and your wine won’t be lonely! Click to learn more >
April Cheese Club: Iowa
Milton Creamery
Morning Harvest
Milton, Iowa
Morning Harvest is an American original cheese. Made with pasteurized cow’s milk, it is slightly sweet with a nice hint of caramel and almond to finish. This softer body cheese melts like a dream!
WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS:
Pair this cheese with a Bold Red Blend or a Bold Cabernet Sauvignon, such as our April Club Selection – the Rangel Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon. For beer, look for something Fruity & Spicy; all three of our April Beer Club Selections would pair beautifully with this cheese.
WINESTYLES: Bold
BEERSTYLES: Fruity & Spicy
ABOUT THE CREAMERY:
The Musser Family has solely owned and operated Milton Creamery since 2006. Originally from Pennsylvania, Rufus and Jane Musser made the move to Southern Iowa for the opportunity to sell produce to dairy farming, which eventually led to their desire to make speciality cheeses. Today, Rufus III, his wife Jane, and their son Rufus IV “Junior” currently work with local Amish and Mennonite dairy farmers to create their award winning cheeses, while managing a team of nearly 30 people. Learn more about their family creamery and history here. >
Information © Milton Creamery – All Rights Reserved.
Mitica
Wild Lavender Honey
Spain
This raw, wild lavender infused honey from Spain is smooth in texture with a beautiful amber color. It is light, floral, sweet and aromatic.
Pairing: Serve on a cheese board paired with this month’s cheese club selection, drizzle over desserts and pastries, or even add to your favorite tea.
WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS:
This honey will marry beautifully with a Riesling, Pinot Gris, or a Sauvignon Blanc, such as this month’s Primary White Wine Selection – the Rangel Ranch Sauvignon Blanc. For beer, pair with any of our April Beer Club Selections.
WINESTYLES: Silky
BEERSTYLES: Fruity & Spicy
Information © Zuercher & Co. – All Rights Reserved.
Join our Cheese Club and bring home a match made in heaven!
If you enjoy pairing cheese with wine, this is your club! Each month you’ll discover specialty and artisan cheeses to pair with your Wine Club. Monthly cheese selections are chosen by your local WineStyles participating location. It’s the perfect opportunity to Taste, Learn and Enjoy® amazing artisan cheese every month! Only $19.99/month and your wine won’t be lonely! Click to learn more >March Cheese Club: Iowa
Claddagh Bó
Irish Cheddar Cheese with Porter Beer
Limerick, Ireland
Made by the O’Doherty family at their award-winning Old Irish Creamery located in County Limerick on the west coast of Ireland. Their Irish Cheddar with Porter is a creamy pasteurized cow’s milk Irish Cheddar that is covered in original Irish Porter, giving both a deep flavor and beautiful marbled look to this stunning cheese. With superb taste and texture, this new Claddaugh Bó line represents the very best of the cheesemaking traditions from the Emerald Isle.
Pairing: Add this stunning cheese to your charcuterie board and wow your guests.
WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS:
This cheese pairs beautifully with a Zinfandel wine. For beer, look for a Porter or a Stout (keep the flavors from the cheese going).
WINESTYLES: Mellow
BEERSTYLES: Dark & Roasty
Information © Somerdale International and Zuercher & Co. – All Rights Reserved.
Long Clawson Dairy
Rutland Red
Leicestershire, England
This clothbound Red Leicester cheese is produced by Long Clawson Dairy in Leicestershire, England. Made using traditional recipes using pasteurized cow’s milk, this cheese is buttered, cloth-bound and matured for six months to produce a flaky, open texture cheese with a slightly sweet, caramelized flavor and rich golden orange color from the addition of annatto seeds. Its flavors are mellow and toasty with lingering caramel notes. This Rutland Red is an award winning cheese – three gold medals at the Global Cheese Awards, four gold medals at the Tesco Red Leiscester Trophy and the International Cheese Awards.
Pairing: Serve on a cheese board with pickles and rustic bread, or enjoy grated on top of biscuits, mashed potatoes, stews and Shepard’s Pie.
WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS:
This cheese suits a full bodied white wine such as an oaked Chardonnay. If you’re wanting a red wine, partner this cheese with a medium bodied Rioja. For craft beer, look for a Brown Ale.
WINESTYLES: Bold and Rich
BEERSTYLES: Fruity & Spicy
Information © Long Clawson Dairy and Zuercher & Co. – All Rights Reserved.
Join our Cheese Club and bring home a match made in heaven!
If you enjoy pairing cheese with wine, this is your club! Each month you’ll discover specialty and artisan cheeses to pair with your Wine Club. Monthly cheese selections are chosen by your local WineStyles participating location. It’s the perfect opportunity to Taste, Learn and Enjoy® amazing artisan cheese every month! Only $19.99/month and your wine won’t be lonely! Click to learn more >February Cheese Club: Iowa
Grupo Ganaderos de Fuerteventura
The Smokin’ Goat
Smoked Goat Cheese
Canary Islands, Spain
This smoked, pasteurized goat’s milk cheese is made by a family-run dairy on the Canary Islands that aims to protect the strong cheesemaking traditions of that region. The Smokin’ Goat is made with local Majorero goat’s milk, creating a smooth paste that is naturally high in fat and protein. The cheese is lightly smoked over beechwood, adding toasted notes to this otherwise sweet and tangy goat cheese. The rind pattern is a nod to the palm leaves that were historically used as cheese molds in this region.
WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS:
What grows together, goes together. Pair this cheese with any of our 2023 February Wine Club wines from Spain. For beer, grab something crisp and clean, like a Pilsner.
WINESTYLES: Bold or Crisp
BEERSTYLES: Crisp and Clean
The Drunken Goat
Semi-Soft Goat Cheese
Queso de Murcia al Vino DOP
Jumilla, Spain
The Drunken Goat is a semi-soft goat cheese bathed in red wine. It is made with pasteurized goat’s milk from the Murcia region of Spain and it’s smooth and mild with a beautiful violet hue – from soaking in Doble Pasta (DOH-blay PAHSS-tah) from the Monastrell grape. Aged for 6-8 weeks with 45-50% fat content, this cheese has a slightly fruity and herbal finish. The Drunken Goat is a great introduction to goat cheese as it doesn’t have the tangy or “goaty” cheese flavors that many people don’t like.
WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS:
Same thing here – what grows together, goes together. Pair this cheese with any of our 2023 February Wine Club wines from Spain. For beer, grab something fruity and spicy, like a Belgian-Style Wheat Ale.
WINESTYLES: Bold or Crisp
BEERSTYLES: Fruity and Spicy
Information © Zuercher & Co. – All Rights Reserved.
Join our Cheese Club and bring home a match made in heaven!
If you enjoy pairing cheese with wine, this is your club! Each month you’ll discover specialty and artisan cheeses to pair with your Wine Club. Monthly cheese selections are chosen by your local WineStyles participating location. It’s the perfect opportunity to Taste, Learn and Enjoy® amazing artisan cheese every month! Only $19.99/month and your wine won’t be lonely! Click to learn more >January Cheese Club: Iowa
Cecilia
Zamorano D.O.P.
Sheep Semibold Cheese
Castile-León, Spain
Aged for 3-9 months, this DOP cheese is made from raw milk of its namesake region’s Churra and Castellano sheep. The rind has a familiar zigzag pattern – typical of many Spanish cheeses – but its flavor is all its own. This cheese is deliciously sweet and nutty with a touch of salt.
WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS:
Pair with a fruity wine such as a Tempranillo or a mellow wine such as our January Wine Club wines: Chateau Govain Merlot and the Domaine de Lilotte Bordeaux. For beer, grab something fruity and spicy, like a Belgian-Style Wheat Ale.
WINESTYLES: Fruity or Mellow
BEERSTYLES: Fruity and Spicy
Onetik
Tomme Pur Chèvre
Goat Cheese
Pyrenees, France
This natural rinded Tomme cheese is made from pasteurized goat’s milk. Similar in texture to Onetik’s Ossau-Iraty Cheese, however, the flavors here are clearer and brighter, with cool herbal tones to replace the nuttiness that you would get from a sheep’s milk Tomme. This is a great addition to any cheese board.
WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS:
Pair with a crisp wine such as a Sancerre or a Sauvignon Blanc – try with our January White Wine Club wine – Chateau Le Prieur Cuvée Passion. For beer, pair with a crisp Basque Cider from the Basque region of Europe (think: “what grows together, goes together”).
WINESTYLES: Crisp
BEERSTYLES: Crisp & Clean
Information © Zuercher & Co. – All Rights Reserved.
Don’t let your Wine Club go home alone!
Join our Cheese Club and bring home a match made in heaven!
If you enjoy pairing cheese with wine, this is your club! Each month you’ll discover specialty and artisan cheeses to pair with your Wine Club. Monthly cheese selections are chosen by your local WineStyles participating location. It’s the perfect opportunity to Taste, Learn and Enjoy® amazing artisan cheese every month! Only $19.99/month and your wine won’t be lonely! Click to learn more >
December Cheese Club: Iowa
Lustenberger & Dürst: LeSuperbe
Antique Langrüti 1862
Gruyère AOP
Switzerland
Aged for 12+ months, this Alpine cheese is highly aromatic and full-bodied with plenty of character. The texture and mouthfeel are rich, granular, and firm with a crystalline tyrosine formation. As for the flavor, it is meaty and earthy with notes of caramel and pear, with a lingering finish. The Antique Gruyère received the highest rating from Luercher & Co.’s evaluation panel.
WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS:
This cheese pairs beautifully with a rich white such as a domestic Chardonnay or an off-dry Gewürztraminer. A Red Bordeaux will play up on the earthy qualities in the cheese, while an Oloroso Sherry, Tawny Port or Bourbon will bring out its sweeter, caramel notes. For beer, look for a Belgian Dubbel Ale or a Bock beer, such as our December Beer Club selection.
WINESTYLES: Rich, Mellow or Nectar
BEERSTYLES: Malty & Sweet or Fruity & Spicy
ABOUT LUSTENBERGER + DÜRST:
For over 160 years, Lustenberger & Dürst and their LeSuperbe brand have valued and upheld the fine art of Swiss cheese-making. This dedication to excellence is one of the reasons why they are still one of the oldest cheese maturing companies in Switzerland. Cheese specialties are produced exclusively for Lustenberger & Dürst by partner cheese dairies and are carefully matured in their aging cellars in Central or Western Switzerland. More than 8,100 tons of cheeses are produced annually – with exports to over 40 different countries worldwide – all while maintaining sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. To learn more about the company, click here.
Urnäscher Käse
Hornkuhkäse
Urnäsch, Switzerland
Made from horned Appenzell cows milk, the Hornkuhkäse is a six to eight-month-ripened whole milk cheese made in a small town of Urnäsch, Switzerland. Here, it is tradition for almost all cows to still have their horns (as opposed to the 20% in other Swiss agriculture). All milk suppliers for Urnäscher Käse are proud keepers of these horned cows; they take good care of them, and it shows. This cheese showcases flavors of a true Alpine cheese, its high fat content and its long maturing period allow the cheese to be pleasantly nutty, aromatic, roasted, creamy, slightly spicy and sharp in taste. The texture is creamy and velvety smooth, melting in your mouth.
AWARDS:
- 2018 – Diploma at the Swiss Cheese Awards
- 2021-2022 – Silver at the World Cheese Awards in Spain
- 2016 – Vice World Champion at the World Championship Cheese Contest
WineStyles Tasting Station 