Como se dice FREAKIN YUM! or... Great Iberian Pennisula Cheeses....

Well last night I experienced the most amazing cheeses so far. It's true I have been working like a crazy person lifting and bending and carrying and running and to be honest just the standing for hours on end takes its toll.....but the cheese hombre....the cheese.


Yesterday I working in affinage all day. You may find yourself asking, "Summer what the hell does that mean"? It took me a while to understand it too... ok so I am going to splain. So Artisanal buys aged cheeses of all sorts. Many of the cheeses are ready to be cut and distributed upon arrival. But many of the cheeses are serviceable but not optimal upon arrival.


For example, last night I worked mostly in washed rind cheeses and goat cheeses. The washed rind cheeses we are mostly just storing in really good conditions (on matted shelves, in the right humidity and temperature, being flipped with protective plastic curtains over the shelves). For the most of these cheese, they are ready to go.


However, the goat cheeses in the goat cheese cave is a much different story. Last night I was unpacking hundreds of very wet goat cheeses onto mats. These cheeses need a lot of "affinage". Which means they need air, time and the right temperature/humidity. Matt explained to me by comparing it to a reduction sauce. We want the air to dry out that wet cheese to just the right time so that a lot of that sourness is gone leaving only the true nature of the cheese. That is what affinage is. It is the watching and tending of the cheese, NOT aging cheese.


Ok on to the fun stuff.


Last night I took a class The Great Iberian Peninsula: The Glorious Cheeses & Wines of Spain and Portugal!


So sure there were three wines but I'm not even going to tell you about any of them but the Tawny Port. Because I am insane for this Port. I had never had cheese and port together and that is a crying crying shame because it was delicious. To tell you the truth I don't really like port all that much, but ay caramba these cheeses with that port is a huge exception!! The salty creamy cheeses mixed with the sweet and viscous port is really something that you should try the next time you serve cheese and wine.


Here are the cheeses to serve with the Tawny Port:


Garrotxa,  goat's milk, Spain
this is an elegant cheese and very pretty. Really just dig in and especially with that tawny port.


Garrotxa is a cheese produced in the Catalonia region in northern Spain. Our Garrotxa is made in a traditional manner by a small artisanal creamery known for its consistently high quality, and it shows! These beautiful wheels have a semi-soft and compact texture and a light but noticeable coating of velvety, blue-grey mold. The flavor is milky and delicate with a hint of nuttiness and a clean, smooth finish. Garrotxa pairs well with most sparkling wines and Champagne, many whites, as well as many Iberian varietals including: Albariño, Tempranillo, Periquita, Garnacha, Sherries and Portos.

Ibores, goat milk, Spain
So salty! I love it and I can really taste the paprika!

Ibores is a zesty, warm-flavored goat's milk cheese from the rugged province of Extremadura in Spain. It is firm, with a pleasant, lingering tangy finish. Rubbed with paprika and olive oil during the two month aging process, the wheels are visually striking and offer a great alternative to fresh goat cheeses. Ibores is very versatile for pairing with many wine types and goes great with Riesling.

Idiazabal, sheep milk, Spain


Idiazabal hails from the Basque country in Spain. During production, the wheels were traditionally smoked over beechwood, hawthorn, or cherry for 10 days, imparting a slight smoky quality that would add depth to the rich, nutty flavor of this sheep's milk cheese. Idiázabal has a firm texture, similar to Zamorano, Roncal, and Manchego, and pairs well with Navarra wines and other medium-bodied reds

Amarelo da Beira Baixa, mixed milk cheese (sheep & goat), Portugal
James really loved this one too and indeed its one of those textures you can really sink your teeth into. Semi soft cheese is kind of like ice cream that has been melted a little and stirred up, it is tastes like a delicious mistake.


Amarelo is a name-protected (D.O.P.) raw sheep and goat milk cheese from Portugal's Beira Baixa region. The cheese has a yellowish paste and small irregular holes; its texture ranges from semi-soft to firm. Amarelo da Beira Baixa is coagulated with animal rennet, and our Amarelo is an artisanally-produced version that has a slightly firmer, chewier texture and tangy flavor with a hint of bitterness at the finish. One of the more versatile cheese partners, we recommend that you try pairing the Amarelo da Beira Baixa with your favorite wines; the results may surprise you in its ability to accentuate hidden nuances.

Manchego, sheep milk, Spain
You know, I was most looking forward to this cheese mostly because I know it and I have to say it was the least interesting cheese. It was nice but as James pointed out, that's why you cook with it. The one thing I really love about this cheese is that gorgeous basket pattern rind. So pretty!


Manchego the famous Spanish D.O. sheep's milk cheese, is made exclusively from the milk of sheep grazing upon the plains of La Mancha, the land of Don Quixote. The Artisanal Manchego is made from raw milk and aged for several months. The cheese is nutty, sweet, and tangy with a firm texture. After 12 months it becomes tastier, saltier and excellent for grating. Manchego pairs well with roasted peppers and rustic bread. Try pairing this cheese with light crisp whites and light to medium-bodied red wines

Monte Enebro, goat milk, Spain
This was both of our favorite cheese on the plate. First of all it is so beautiful. James thinks it looks like octopus carpaccio while I think it looks like an oyster. But as if that were not enough this cheese is so sour and creamy and salty. Take a look at that picture and see the color of the cheese right where the rind meets the middle, GLURP!!! thats the best part it is so soft it just melts in your mouth!!!


Monte Enebro is handmade in Avila, Spain, by legendary cheesemaker Rafael Baez and his daughter Paloma. The Baezs make their complex goat's milk cheese from pasteurized milk and then inoculate the logs with the mold that is used to make Roquefort, adding to Monte Enebro's complexity and distinctive appearance. Air-shipped to Artisanal at only 21 days, Monte Enebro arrives creamy, lemony and slightly acidic; as it ages, the texture becomes denser and the flavor acquires a more intense, pungent finish. This award-winning cheese has proven to be a versatile pairing partner for many wines; it pairs exceptionally well with Chenin Blancs, Sauternes and sweeter sherries.

La Peral, cow milk, Spain
Ok you may remember me saying last week that this tasted like crushed aspirin....well that was last week's plate which had a lot of bitter German and Swiss cheeses on it. However, the fact that it followed this rather creamy and sweet plate brought out the real beauty of this cheese and I could not believe the difference! So it turns out Max is right and the whole plate needs to work together or else you could walk away hating a perfectly lovely, creamy blue cheese like La Peral.


La Peral is a lightly blued, rare and delicious cheese hailing from Asturias in Northern Spain. It is made from pasteurized cow's milk to which sheep cream has been added. Also known as Queso Azul Asturiano, La Peral is made by the Lopez Leon family. The wheels are aged for sixty days just to the point that the blue begins to develop. La Peral resembles an Italian Gorgonzola and has a touch of olive oil flavor and a pleasant pungent aroma. Its moist and slightly crumbly texture becomes significantly creamier in the finish. Along with other bigger wines, we recommend that you try pairing this outstanding blue cheese with Tempranillos, Cabernet Sauvignons, Gamays, Ports or Spanish desert wines.

oh and as promised here are those pictures of me and james in the cheese hat my beloved Aunt Heidi sent me!!!! Aunt Heidi thanks to you I am officially a cheesehead!