Mimolette (Flanders, France)
Creamery, hard, cow's milk cheese allowed to ripen for around six to nine months. The natural rind ranges in color from yellow orange to light brown and is pitted, dry and hard. Intensely fruity, it is popular as a cooking cheese and as a snack to eat with a glass of beer. The bright, deep tangerine color of the cheese is due to the natural dye, annatto.
Parmigiano Reggiano (Emilia-Romagna, Italy)
The King of Cheeses! Parmigiano is produced in the shape of large cylinders weighing approximately 80 pound each. The best Parmigiano is aged twenty to thirty months. The café au lait-colored insides have dried to crunchy perfection: nutty, spicy, salty (but not too much so), and floral, with a distinct caramel finish.
Manchego (La Mancha, Spain)
Cheese made exclusively from the milk of sheep grazing upon the plains of La Mancha. It is nutty, sweet, and tangy with a firm texture. After 12 months it becomes tastier, saltier and excellent for grating. Yet, it seems to melt on the tongue. Traditionally served with dried figs and membrillo (quince paste) for some sweet companionship.
Old Quebec Cheddar (Quebec, Canada)
Very sharp, intense flavor with a lasting taniginess. The fat, protein, minerals and ashes gradually break down during the fermentation and 5 year aging process, which intensifies the flavors and firms and dries the texture. This cheddar does not contain food coloring. Instead, it showcases a lovely, off-white color.
Pleasant Ridge Reserve (Wisconsin, United States)
This raw cow's milk cheese is rich and hearty with complex layers of caramel and an intriguing tart fruitiness. Uplands Pleasant Ridge has a nutty, clean flavor and a milky finish that shows off the extremely high quality of the cow's milk. Smooth, even pressed flesh with rich fruit, olives , herbs and a tang on the finish to rival the best Beaufort
Idiazabal (Basque, Spain)
Idiazabal hails from the Basque country in Spain. During production, the wheels are lightly smoked over beechwood, hawthorn, or cherry for 10 days, imparting a slight smokey quality that adds wonderfully to the rich, nutty flavor of this sheep's milk cheese. Idiazabal has a firm texture, similar to Manchego, and pairs well with bigger reds.
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