July Cheese Club: Iowa

Posted on June 25, 2025 by mcginnessalex

Artikaas
Youngsters First Milk Gouda
Holland

A little taste of Holland. This gouda is made with milk that is collected from cows that have had their first taste of Spring’s tender grasses. Artikaas turns their rich, nutritious milk into irresistibly smooth Gouda.

FLAVOR PROFILE:
4-6 week aged, milk, creamy, smooth

WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS:
Try a crisp Chardonnay or a refreshing dry cider. The bright acidity and fruity notes in either beverage beautifully complement the cheese’s creamy texture and subtle sweetness, enhancing its fresh, yet rich flavor.

WINESTYLES: Crisp
BEERSTYLES: Crisp & Clean or Fruity

RECIPE IDEAS: Want to think outside the cheese board? Try Artikaas’ Hatch Chile Cheese Fondue recipe! Click here >

ABOUT THE CREAMERY:
Artikaas has been a family run cheesemaker in Holland for over six generations. They make Gouda as they always have — meticulously, without shortcuts, with respect for nature, and using only the best milk from family farms.

Clawson Farms
Shropshire Blue
Leicestershire, England

An absolute standout, Shropshire Blue gets its rich golden-orange color from natural annatto, derived from the berry of the achiote tree. This award-winning British blue cheese is fudgy, gently tangy, and irresistibly meltable. With a creamy, mellow flavor that still carries plenty of character, it’s the perfect gateway to blue cheese. Beloved by food lovers, it’s hard to beat for melting onto a crostini, especially with a spoonful of red onion marmalade.

WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS:
Pair with a Riesling Spätlese—its vibrant acidity and touch of sweetness balance the cheese’s tang and richness. For beer, an English strong ale offers malty warmth that complements the cheese’s fudge-like texture and savory depth.

WINESTYLES: Fruity
BEERSTYLES: Fruity & Spicy

RECIPE IDEAS: Try this delicious cheese on a flaky phyllo dough (what’s not to love?). You’ll love this recipe for Shropshire Blue Tart >

ABOUT CLAWSON FARMS:
Clawson Farms is a farmer-owned co-operative founded in 1912 in Long Clawson, Leicestershire, now made up of around 30 local farms within a 30-mile radius. With over a century of cheese-making heritage, the creamery blends traditional craftsmanship with modern innovation to produce award-winning British cheeses like Blue Stilton, Shropshire Blue, and Aged Rutland Red. Clawson remains committed to sustainability, animal welfare, and community values, recently unveiling a refreshed brand identity that celebrates its roots while inviting a new generation to discover its cheeses. Learn more here.

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 >

March Cheese Club: Iowa

Posted on February 27, 2025 by mcginnessalex

Artikaas 18 Month Aged Gouda Netherlands

Complex flavors develop slowly as it matures for a year and a half in a state-of-the-art aging facility. A firm texture with some salt crystallization, a deep ochre interior, notes of toasted walnuts, and a brown-butter finish equal perfection! Aged: 18 Months Milk: Cows Pasteurization: Pasteurized WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS: For wine, pair with Pomar Junction Reserve Pinot Noir; its elegant structure and red berry notes provide just enough acidity and contrast for the cheese’s aged nuttiness. If you prefer white, a lighter-white wine such as Pinot Grigio, Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc. For craft beer, go with a dry cider, which cuts through the richness while highlighting the cheese’s caramel notes, or an amber ale, whose balanced malt sweetness pairs naturally with the aged Gouda’s butterscotch flavors. WINESTYLES: Crisp or Mellow wines BEERSTYLES: Fruity & Spicy beers Information © Zuercher Cheese. – All Rights Reserved.

L’Amuse Brabander Reserve (Black Betty) Gouda Goat Cheese Netherlands

This may be our favorite cheese ever (secret’s out). A mature Gouda from the North Brabant region of the Netherlands, imported by Essex St. Cheese Co. Affineur Betty Koster chooses wheels of Saanen goats’ milk Brabander, normally aged 6-8 months, which she feels are capable of further aging. The Reserve Brabander’s texture is firmer and drier than a typical Brabander, with flavors reflecting brown butter, salted caramel, and pineapple. Aged: 16 Months Milk: Goat Pasteurization: Pasteurized WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRINGS: For wine, pair with Pomar Junction Roussanne; its smooth texture and subtle floral and stone fruit notes enhance the cheese’s creamy, nutty flavors without overpowering them. If you prefer red, Pomar Junction Reserve Pinot Noir is a great match—its bright acidity and red fruit contrast the cheese’s richness. For craft beer, try a Belgian Tripel, whose fruity esters and effervescence balance the cheese’s creamy texture, or a Pale Ale, which mirrors its caramelized nuttiness. WINESTYLES: Crisp or Mellow BEERSTYLES: Crisp & Clean or Fruity & Spicy beers Information © Zuercher & Co. – All Rights Reserved.

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

May Cheese Club: Iowa

Posted on April 28, 2021 by mcginnessalex

Benning®
Mild Goats Milk Gouda
Holland

Benning® Mild Goats Milk Gouda is a semi-firm, pure white, versatile cheese that is fresh and mild in taste. It is made from light goats’ milk that is then formed into classic gouda-style wheels and aged to create a smooth and creamy textured cheese. This cheese is great for the pickiest of eaters. It is mildly tangy and slightly sweet with hints of caramel.

FOOD PAIRING: This cheese melts beautifully; eat as is, or slice/grate onto your favorite sandwich or pizza.

WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRING: The Benning® Mild Milk Gouda pairs well with dark and malty beers such as a malty Amber Ale. It also pairs nicely with a buttery Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or our May Wine Club Chenin Blanc.

WINESTYLES: Silky
BEERSTYLES: Dark & Roasty or Malty & Sweet

Cypress Grove®
Midnight Moon®
Holland

This aged goat milk cheese is made exclusively for Cypress Grove® in Holland. Aged for at least six-months, Midnight Moon® is an ivory-colored goat cheese with forward nutty and brown-buttery flavors, finish with long caramel notes. Similar to classic goudas, Midnight Moon® forms protein crystals as it ages, and lends to a slight crunch to the otherwise dense and smooth cheese. This goat cheese is known to convert even the pickiest of goat cheese critics!

AWARDS:

Best of Class, World Championship Cheese Contest 2010, 2020
Super Gold, World Cheese Awards 2015, 2018
Gold, World Cheese Awards 2014
Best New Product in Show, sofi Awards 2002
Silver, World Cheese Awards 2017
Silver Finalist, sofi Awards 2003
Third Place, World Championship Cheese Contest 2014
Bronze, World Cheese Awards 2016
Bronze, sofi Awards 2017

FOOD PAIRING: Serve with fig jams, seeded crackers, or bread

WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRING: For wine, pair with Ice Wine, Sweet Sherry, Syrah or Zinfandel. As for beer, look for a Belgian Dark, Stout, or a Tripel.

WINESTYLES: Fruity or Bold
BEERSTYLES: Dark & Roasty, or Fruity & Spicy

ABOUT CYPRESS GROVE®, ARCATA, CALIFORNIA:
In the 1970’s, when pre-packed TV dinners and processed, rubber cheese were popular, a self-proclaimed “serious hippie” named Mary Keehn was on the hunt for something different. A mother a four, she wanted to find healthier milk for her children. Mary noticed her neighbor owned goats for brush control and asked if she could purchase two, at which the neighbor replied, “if you can catch ’em, you can have ’em”. Each day, Mary went out with grain until eventually she lured in her first two goats: Esmeralda and Hazel. These goats turned into four, and many more from there. With a lot of goats, came a lot of milk, and thus, Cypress Grove® was born! Learn more about their story here.

Don’t let your Wine Club go home alone!

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

February Cheese Club: Iowa

Posted on January 31, 2021 by mcginnessalex

Hook’s Cheese Company, Inc. 10 Year Cheddar Wisconsin, USA

This 10 year cheddar won 1st place at the 2006 American Cheese Society Show, the only 10 year cheddar to get a 1st place in this, or any competition. It has more calcium crystals than Hook’s 7 year cheddar. It has a full, rich cheddar flavor with a smooth finish. The 10 year cheddar has calcium lactate crystals. These have the texture of salt but have no flavor. More crystals develop as the cheddars get older. The 10 year has a rich, kind of creamy, slightly acidic but more of a fruity note to it. FOOD PAIRING: Make a yummy cheese and charcuterie board with dried fruits, quince paste, olives, pate, cornichon pickles, grained mustard, peppadew peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, assorted salami and prosciutto. WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRING: When pairing wine with this cheese, reach for a big, bold Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, or Merlot; for beer, look for something a Cider or something malty and sweet, such as a Scotch Ale or an Oatmeal Stout. WINESTYLES: Bold BEERSTYLES: Malty & Sweet

Hook’s Cheese Company, Inc. Triple Play Extra Innings Wisconsin, USA

A fantastic blend of three types of milk – cow, sheep, and goat. Flavor notes that come through – Baby Swiss, Havarti and Gouda. Aged over a year. At this point the Gouda flavor has become more prevalent and crystals have started to form. FOOD PAIRING: Dried apricots, dried cherries, sliced apples and pears; as well as flatbread, sesame breadsticks, olive tapenade, and shelled pistachios. WINE & CRAFT BEER PAIRING: When pairing wine with this cheese, reach for a Zinfandel; for beer, look for something Hoppy and Bitter such as an IPA. WINESTYLES: Bold BEERSTYLES: Hoppy & Bitter

ABOUT HOOK’S CHEESE COMPANY: In 1970 Tony Hook began apprenticing at a small cheese factory in Barneveld and got his cheesemakers license in 1972. In 1976, college sweethearts, Tony and Julie, formed Hook’s Cheese Company. At that time they only produced Cheddar and some Swiss. Since then, they have not only grown into a much larger factory, they have also expanded their lines of cheese. This duo continues to produce award winning cheeses including Colby, Monterey Jack, Maple Jack, Muenster, Cheddar, Pepper Jack, Parmesan, Swiss, Havarti, Gouda, Blue Cheese and many others. To learn more about the Hook’s family and the cheeses they produce, click here.

WineStyles of West Des Moines is excited to announce they have got their hands on a small amount of Hook’s Cheese Company’s special 15 Year Cheddar! While this is not featured in this month’s Cheese Club, we promise you don’t want to miss this. Ask how you can pick up this very special, limited cheese at your local wine store!

Don’t let your Wine Club go home alone! Join our Cheese Club and bring home a match made in heaven!

Fall for Great Beers this Season

Posted on September 24, 2014 by WineStyles Tasting Station

Interview with Bob the Brewmaster

Our own craft beer enthusiast, Bob the Brew Master, has been keeping busy scooping out the latest in the world of craft beer. Today, he shares with us the latest trends and pairing ideas for autumn.

What are the best beers to enjoy this fall?

Fall means Oktoberfest. The cooler fall weather makes the craving for hearty more flavorful and substantial beers arrive. As the leaves gets darker on the trees, so does the trend of enjoying darker beers and flavors that are typically more toasty and malty.

What are the newest flavors we’ll find on shelves this season?

More and more craft brewers are showing off their brewing talents with some great pumpkin ales, brown ales, black IPA’s, Porters and Stouts. Warmth inducing, stronger flavor and higher alcohol beer is great for cool weather. Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel Ale is aged in fresh bourbon barrels, the sweetness of caramel and vanilla are imparted upon the brew and complement its spicier base. This robust, limited release seasonal makes for a flavorful sipping beer to slowly warm up with as the weather cools.

Why do you think pumpkin and other strong flavors have taken over as the newest fall traditional beers?

Beer geeks are always looking for new unique flavors and extreme beers. American Craft Brewers continue to push the envelope on taste and style with pumpkin ales, strongly hopped double or Black IPA’s, higher alcohol beers and chocolate and coffee stouts. I’m especially impressed with Rogue Ales, who grow their own ingredients from “patch to batch”, just look for their GYO label (Grow Your Own). Whenever you see the Rogue Farms label, you’ll know they are farming their own ingredients. Such as their Pumpkin Patch Ale, made with their own hops and pumpkins grown at Rogue Farms in Oregon, and brewed with a touch of ginger, cloves, vanilla bean, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg. This craft beer pairs especially well with pork or desserts.

What’s your favorite craft beer and cheese pairing for the fall?

I like to pair a nice hoppy IPA like Stone Ruination IPA with an aged Gouda or an Oskar Blues Ten Fidy with a Strong Blue or Asiago cheese.

Cheese for Summertime

Posted on June 11, 2014 by WineStyles Tasting Station

Interview with Max McCalman, Dean of Curriculum and Maitre Fromager of Artisanal Cheese

What is your perfect cheese/wine pairing for weddings?
Luscious triple crèmes like Brillat-Savarin or Pierre Robert, and a well-aged Gruyère from Beeler. Pair with fine Champagne — a match made in heaven.

Which cheese and wine pairings do you suggest for Father’s Day?
This is the time of the year when we begin to see the broadest variety of types of cheese. The Lauriers are lovely soft cheeses. To add a little sweet for your dad, include a variety of Gouda that has been aged four years. Pairing these two cheeses from opposite ends of the CheeseClock™ is simple, as they both are complemented quite well by lighter white wines. Or try two-year-old Cheddar or the Terraluna. Pair either one of these two firm cheeses with a glass of Pinot Noir or Chardonnay.

Which cheese and wines go best when preparing for a BBQ?
Try Petite Syrah, a Zinfandel or Primitivo, or a Tempranillo. These wines are best paired with sheep milk cheeses, such as Stella Royale and Pecorino Sardo.

What’s the best way to store cheese in summertime?
During warm weather it’s important to place it in a chilled storage container, especially a soft cheese.

Tell us more about the new cheeses and what wine they would pair with?
One of our newer cheeses is the Terraluna, which is produced in Utah and comes from clean raw Jersey cow milk. This cheese is in the cheddar family yet it is a little less acidic than most. It offers a deep flavor with a longlasting finish. It’s a versatile cheese partner with many wines, especially Pinot Noir. Another cheese in our caves is the Stella Royale. It is a traditional-style pressed sheep milk cheese from northwest Spain. The paste of the cheese is firm and granular and carries a distinct olive oil aroma just before it finishes with a nutty flavor. Stella Royale pairs well with Tempranillo, Pinot Noir, Grenache, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc.

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Taste, Learn and Enjoy!

Tag Archives: Gouda

July Cheese Club: Iowa

Artikaas
Youngsters First Milk Gouda
Holland

Clawson Farms
Shropshire Blue
Leicestershire, England