Tag Archives: december cheese club

December Cheese Club: Iowa

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Cheese ClubAlpha-Tolman-Cheese-ImageJasper Hill Farm Alpha Tolman Greensboro, Vermont

Alpha Tolman has a buttery, fruit and nut flavor when young, developing bold meaty, caramelized onion flavors as it matures. The texture is dense and pliant, easily portioned and ideal for melting. Curds are cooked and pressed before being aged for 8-11 months to achieve a tight, elastic texture and robust, complex flavors. The texture, aesthetic, and flavor make Alpha an ideal choice for fondue or onion jam. For a satisfying and novel meal, follow the lead of Swiss/French raclette: melt it onto a plate of fingerling potatoes, cured meat, and natural sour pickles. HISTORY: Alpha Tolman is a Jasper Hill original, inspired by classic Alpine cheeses of Europe. Its name pays homage to Mr. Alpha Tolman, a philanthropic dairy farmer responsible for – among other notable works – building the town library in 1900. Alpha’s grandfather, Enoch Tolman, was an original settler of Greensboro, Vermont. WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS: Try pairing with a robust Ale or other bock beers, or plummy red wines, such as a Barbera or Cabernet Franc. WINESTYLES: Mellow or Bold BEERSTYLES: Malty Info and photos © Jasper Hill Farm – All Rights Reserved.

Cambozola Balance-Cheese-BowKasseri Champignon Cambozola Classic Triple Creme Blue Bavaria, Germany

It’s not a brie, it’s not a blue. This creamy, soft ripened cheese has a rind that is bloomy and white, while the paste is soft and creamy with flecks of blue. It’s a nice way to introduce someone to a blue style cheese as the flavor is mild and not overwhelming. Use this cheese when making our December Secondary Red wine pairing recipe. WINE & CRAFT BEER RECOMMENDATIONS: Enjoy with a rich Porter or Stout beer, or reach for a light-bodied Pinot Noir or sparkling wine made using the traditional method, such as a French Champagne or Spanish Cava. WINESTYLES: Mellow BEERSTYLES: Malty Information © Zuercher & Co. – All Rights Reserved. Photo © Gourmet Foods International – All Rights Reserved.

Join our Cheese Club and bring home a match made in heaven!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

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Cheese ClubHeader_Siegel_Antique_Langruti_1400x600Lustenberger & 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.

Urnaescher-Kaese_Hornkuhkaese1Urnäscher 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
WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS: Pair with a Riesling or a fruity red variety, such as a Pinot Noir or a Rhone. As for beer, look for a hard cider to complement this cheese!  WINESTYLES: Crisp, Silky or Fruity BEERSTYLES: Fruity & Spicy ABOUT URNÄSCHER KÄSE: Founded in 2007 by 37 farming families from Urnäsch and the surrounding area, the team’s mission was to process and market their milk themselves to preserve as much added value as possible in the Urnäsch region. Today, the company maintains their customs and are proud to produce and sell typical Appenzell milk and cheese specialties made from almost 100% local milk from horned cows. Learn more about their story here. Information, Photos & Videos © Lustenberger & Dürst, LeSuperbe, Urnäscher Käse, and Zuercher & Co. – All Rights Reserved.

Cheese_springDon’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

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cheese_club_logo-1240x1240pitchfork-cheddar-cheeseNeal’s Yard Dairy Pitchfork Cheddar Somerset, England
The Pitchfork Cheddar is a full-bodied, dense and nutty cheddar from Trethowan’s Dairy in Somerset. It has a juicy bite and creamy texture that coats the mouth. The name, Pitchfork, references the old Cheddar-making tools used to toss the curd while mixing in the salt. This practice is something that Neal’s Yard Dairy continues today. Milk Type: Cow Milk Source: Produced on-site Average Age: 12 months Cheesemakers: Maugan & Todd Trethowan Serving Suggestion: Fold grated Pitchfork Cheddar into scrambled eggs towards the end of the cooking process to get deeper, more savory eggs. WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS: The Pitchfork Cheddar pairs well with a light red wine such as a Pinot Noir, or a Silky White Wine, like a Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc. For beer, reach for a Cider or English Ale. WINESTYLES: Fruity or Silky BEERSTYLES: Crisp & Clean BACKGROUND:
gorwydd_caerphilly_location_map_e4fd8e5d

© Photo by Neal’s Yard Dairy

Historically, most West Country cheesemakers produced Cheddar before embarking on a cheese more commonly associated with their friends across the Welsh border: Caerphilly. Cheddar takes over a year to mature, while Caerphilly can be turned around in a month of less, so in leaner times, particularly between the first and second world wars, Caerphilly sales provided a steady flow of income while the Cheddar took its time to age. The Trethowans, however, have gone about this the other way around. While based in their home country of Wales, they made their name producing their signature Gorwydd Caerphilly, but when they moved across the border to a dairy farm just up the road from the Somerset market town of Cheddar, they felt compelled to begin producing a clothbound Cheddar alongside it. The milk comes from their herd of Holstein and Jersey cows, which graze on the farm’s organic pastures. The Cheddar is handmade in small batches to a traditional farmhouse recipe. – Neal’s Yard Dairy
lincolnshire-poacher-cheeseNeal’s Yard Dairy Lincolnshire Poacher Alford, Lincolnshire, England
West Country Cheddar meets Comté in this cheese. It is smooth and densely creamy in texture with flavors ranging from rich and savory to long, sweet and somewhat pineapple-like. Lincolnshire Poacher is one of the very few cheeses to be produced on the east coast of the country, where the clay soils are usually improper for dairy farming. Milk Type: Cow Milk Source: Own herd Average Age: 18-24 Months Cheesemakers: Simon Jones and Richard Tagg Serving Suggestion: Melt on top of buttered crumpets or toast. WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS: Similarly, the Lincolnshire Poacher pairs well with light red Pinot Noirs, Gamays or a Sangioveses. If you prefer white wine, reach for a Silky White, like a Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc. Ciders or English Ales will pair best with this cheese. WINESTYLES: Fruity or Silky BEERSTYLES: Crisp & Clean BACKGROUND:
lincolnshire_poacher_location_map_720x

© Photo from Neal’s Yard Dairy

Although the loamy or clay soils of Lincolnshire are usually ill-suited to dairy farming, the lush pastures of Simon Jones’s Ulceby Grange farm sit on chalky land – and it is this, combined with the mild climate, that has made Lincolnshire Poacher one of very few cheeses to be produced on the east coast of the country. Though the farm has been in the family since 1917, the Jones family didn’t start making cheese until the 1990s, when a young Simon returned from agricultural college. Eager to turn his hand toward cheesemaking, he enlisted the help of renowned Welsh cheesemaker Dougal Campbell to develop a recipe, and the result – which incorporates the hallmarks of a hard mountain cheese into a traditional West Country Cheddar – proved so popular that customers at the local cheese shop initially had to be rationed to quarter of a pound each. Simon’s brother Tim has since joined him on the farm, and in 1995 Simon employed a full-time cheesemaker, Richard Tagg. Today, it is Jon Collins whose job it is to transform milk from their 230-strong herd of Holstein Friesians into cheese on an almost daily basis. Once the curds have been moulded, salted and pressed for 36 hours, the resulting cheese truckles are matured on wooden boards and turned regularly to ensure even maturation. The brothers recently invested in a robot for turning the truckles, improving consistency still further. Though some Lincolnshire Poacher will be aged for up to 36 months, we believe the finest tasting truckles are between a year and 24 months old. – Neal’s Yard Dairy ABOUT NEAL’S YARD DAIRY: Founded in 1979 by Randolph Hodgson, Neal’s Yard Dairy started as a small shop tucked away in corner of London’s Covent Garden, selling and making Greek-style yogurt, crème fraîche and a couple other cheeses. It later became a popular shop for local farmhouse cheesemakers to sell their own product. Today, Neals’ Yard Dairy sells the very best British and Irish cheeses. They work with about 40 cheesemakers, all with different cheesemaking styles and techniques. Learn more about their story here.

Cheese_springDon’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 >