Past Newsletters

Vol 4 No 5

Mountain High

The steep-sided pastures of Valle d'Aosta in the northwestern corner of Italy, near the French and Swiss borders, are dominated by the Italian Alps - the highest mountains in Europe. Overlooked by Mont Blanc, and aided by the very dry summers, these high altitude pastures provide a wonderful variety of lush, and very unique grass species. Genuine Fontina is made only in Vale d'Aosta, and is the ideal expression of this territory's inimitable character, its history, its hard-working people, and their love for the mountains. During the summer, the cheeses are made at the chalets in the alpine pastures, and in the winter months, they are made in creameries lower down in the valley.

Only fresh milk from Valdostana cows is used. It must be raw (unpasturized) and come from a single milking. The cheeses are made twice every day and are matured for at least 3 months in natural environments. Each cheesemaker has his own favorite location for ripening his cheeses' caves, grottoes, tunnels, and former military bunkers. The co-operative dairy even uses an old copper mine! Fontina is perhaps one of the best Italian flavor experiences around' exotic, earthy, even enchanting. Unfortunately, most Fontina available in this country is a pale imitation, but the cheese you are about to taste is the real thing!

Italian Fontina is made in large, 17 to 22 pound wheels, about 4 inches thick, and 18 inches in diameter. Its flavor is due in part to the incredible richly flavored milk it is made from - a natural result of cows feeding on the wide range of plants in the Italian Alps, and also the absence of chemicals. Fontina is 45% fat and has a creamy brown to terracotta rind that is lightly oiled, uneven, and thin. The paste is smooth and buttery, almost spread able, when young. It has a pale straw color and a few small holes fairly evenly distributed throughout. As the cheese matures it becomes darker and much drier. The young cheese is milky and lightly scented from the alpine meadows. The older cheese develops an earthly but fruity aroma with a mellow flavor of nuts and fruit.

What's In A Name?

Ask several cheesemakers and you may get differing . Of course it is linked with the Fontina pastures in the municipality of Quart, but was the cheese named after the pastures or the pastures named after the cheese? Others say its origins stem from the place named, Fontinaz, or the surname of a family of cheesemakers. Whatever the truth, this is Valle d'Aosta's cheese par excellence.

Authentic Fontina Valle d'Aosta has a mark on it that is unmistakable. Stenciled in purple on one side of the cheese will be a large circle with a mountain in the center of it, and the word 'Fontina' printed across the mountain. Each cheese also has the name of the local cooperative stenciled on the rind.

Fontina is a splendid cheese for cooking and is a pristine table or dessert cheese. It melts into a creamy mass that is good for sauces. Fonduta, the Piedmontese version of fondue, is based on Fontina with butter, eggs, and wild mushrooms. Wonderful in Risotto, it can also be substituted for Swiss Raclette cheese. Actually we would describe Fontina as a perfect anytime cheese that marries well with ham, salami or pate. When melted, as it frequently is, the flavor is earthy and adds a depth of flavor to any dish that calls for cheese. Serve with celery or grapes, or use in toasted sandwiches.

Fontina Impersonators

Fontal, an imitation of Fontina, is a second class cheese. Its production area is poorly defined, falling partly in France and partly in Italy, therefore the flavor is not consistent. It is often used for raclettes. Fontinella, Fontella, and Fontal are all brand names used by the big creameries of the Po Valley for their look-alike Fontina cheeses. They are mildly pleasant, but they are definitely not Italian Fontina!

Danish Fontina is a red-waxed cheese and is very bland and rubbery. Roth Kase Fontina comes from an American creamery in Monroe, Wisconsin, that uses a heat-treatment technique that does not steal all the flavor from the milk. The cheese is very good. Did you realize we are in the midst of a Cheese Renaissance, here in America?

Chimay, The Divine Curd

Despite its small size, Belgium has a remarkably varied landscape, and an extraordinary rich culinary culture. Although better known for its beers and chocolates, its many wonderful cheeses are a bit of a secret. Belgian food reveals a variety of influences from other countries. Their cheeses are most directly influenced by the French, because many Trappist Monks fled to Belgium from France in the 19th Century.

Historically, Christian religious orders were the source of many original European cheeses and wines. The Monasteries and Nunneries prided themselves on their hospitality, and the high quality of food and wine that they served their visitors. The cheeses made by these religious orders, most of which were founded in France, Belgium, and Switzerland, share a basic recipe and milk type. They are semi soft, cow's milk cheeses made from uncooked curd with washed rinds - and each has a pronounced flavor and considerable aroma.

Just north of the French border lies the town of Chimay (she-MAY), perhaps best known for the Trappist brewing monasteries. Not far from the town of Chimay, near the hamlet of Forges, the Abbey of Notre Dame stands on a small hill called Scourmont. The Abbey was built in 1850 in the Romanesque style, and in 1862 the monks added a dairy and a brewery to generate funds for their livelihood.

It was a natural transition for them to make cheese produced from their dairy's milk, and it became quite popular at the local marketplace. As with beer, the role of the Monasteries in the development and production of Belgian cheese has been vital. During the Middle Ages, there were fifty Abbeys in the territory now called Belgium. In vying for political and economic influence, they also vied for superiority in the cheeses they produced. And so now we would like to introduce you to a cheese that has been perfected over these last 150 years.

Monastery-style copycat cheeses are everywhere (each with a religious-sounding name, of course), but they are consistently flavorless. You'll certainly want to avoid Austrian Sebastian and Trappist, and German Bruder Basil. Unfortunately, the best such as Belgian Chimay and French Pierre-Qui-Vire (pee-AIR-kee-veer) are not yet exported to the USA with any frequency.

A trip to the Chimay brewery and dairy is truly a spiritual experience. The monastery and surrounding forests and farmlands are among the most picturesque areas in all of Belgium. We think you'll agree that the melodies of the monastery bells calling the monks to afternoon prayers are splendid, and only surpassed by the magnificent aromas coming from the brewery.

300 Cheeses

Churchill said, Any country with two hundred cheeses must be in good health, and DeGalle said, Any country with three hundred cheeses is ungovernable. Which leads to the probable conclusion that Belgium, with as many cheeses as France, but only 1/5 the population, is in a revolutionary state of fitness.

Belgians consider beer an eminently suitable partner for cheese, and any self-respecting Belgian knows that the pleasure of his beer will be greatly enhanced by the taste of Chimay cheese. In Belgian the most common bar food is a version of an amazingly simple fare, first suggested by Dom Perignon - cubes of semi-soft cheese sprinkled with celery salt. The result of this pairing is unquestionably alchemical, as the godfather of Champagne well knew. To quote him' a sandwich prepared in this way made 'bad wine drinkable, and good wine heavenly.' To check out the huge variety of wines and microbrews that we have sent to our club members over the years, go to winemonthclub.com and beermonthclub.com.

A Culinary Treasure

This amazing goat cheese is made in the village of Jumilla in the Murcia region of Spain, which is on the southeastern coast. It is most unusual, and in fact it is very difficult to find. The name Drunken Goat conjures up images of goats weaving about the pasture' perhaps even snoozing on their backs with their hooves pointed to the blue sky. But just in case you were wondering, wine, beer, or any other form of spirits are not fed to the goats. Rather, the cheese is soaked in wine.

The Murcia region is especially famous for its Doble Pasta wine, as well as for its excellent goat's milk. The milk used to make this cheese comes exclusively from Murciana goats, and is both high in fat and protein, which gives this cheese its amazing creaminess. Drunken Goat is aged for a short period of time before being immersed in the Doble Pasta wine for about 72 hours. This imparts an incredibly stunning violet color to the rind. Usually rinds are various shades of brown or cream, so it is exceptionally unique for a cheese to have such an artfully colored rind.

This wine is young and pronounced. It colors the cheese and the flavor also permeates it. You can smell the aroma and taste the wine in the finish. Drunken Goat is then aged for an additional 75 days. Serve it with desserts or as an appetizer.

Tasting Notes:

Fontina - This cheese has enough flavors on its own to summarize the characteristics of the entire region of Italy called Valle d'Aosta. Fontina is dense, smooth and slightly elastic. The straw-colored interior, with its small, round holes, has a delicate nuttiness with a hint of mild honey. This supple cheese's flavor hints of pristine forest floors, then shifts to a lovely yet powerful lingering scent of wild mushrooms.

Chimay - While its aroma is quite strong, the taste of the cheese itself is somewhat mild, but certainly not bland. It's semi-soft and has a nutty, well-finished flavor. This is a good cheese to take your time tasting. It will help you to cultivate your palette.

Drunken Goat - The flavor begins as mild and sooo creamy, but finishes with a wonderful tangy sweetness and a fruity, lusciously, grapey aroma.