WINE WITH FOOD

Cheese Families

Like wine there are exceptions to the classification below but for simplicity’s sake the following seems to make the most sense in that it groups them according to flavor, texture and appearance.

• Fresh Cheeses – these are cheeses that are generally uncooked and unripened (or very briefly ripened). The curd can be left loose as in cottage cheese or ricotta or molded into shapes like fresh goat cheese, Fromage Blanc or Mascarpone. When the curds or heated a bit they are called Pasta filata or “spun paste” and are kneaded and stretched. Barely kneaded fresh mozzarella falls into this category as does the more “stretched” Provolone or Italian Caciocavallo. Salt-brined Fetas would also be included here.


• Bloomy Rind or Soft Ripening Cheeses – these are sprayed with or exposed to beneficial molds and are white and velvety on the outside. When young, the cheese is firm and sometimes “chalky” in the center but become soft, creamy and oozy as the mold works to ripen them. Examples here are Brie and Camembert.
  
• Washed Rind Cheeses – these are soft cheeses whose rinds are washed, rubbed or brushed during their ripening with water, salt water, wine, beer or spirits like eau-de-vie and the liquid gives the bacteria that live on the surface of the cheese food to create cheeses of very distinctive flavor and aroma (often smelly!). Their rind is often orange in color. Italian Tallegio, French Pont-l’Eveque, Epoisses and Spanish Mahon are of this family. Cheeses that are labeled “Trappist” or “Monastery” are usually of this type.
  
• Semi Soft Cheeses – These are related to the washed rind cheese in terms of texture but none of the washing goes on to develop their flavor. For the most part these are relatively bland, buttery cheeses that Americans are very fond of. Included here are Monterey Jack, Fontina, Havarti, Teleme, Colby all of which can be very or not so good. The whole world of “pizza cheeses is included here.
  
• Natural Rind Cheeses – as the name implies have a thin rind that is formed naturally as the cheese ages and no molds or washing are used. French Morbier, Cantal, Tomme de Savoie; English Stilton and Lancashire and Spanish Roncal are included in this family. Young they have a creamy flavor that as they age takes on a nuttiness and depth.
  
• Blue Cheeses – these are cheeses that are marbled with blue or green mold. This mold can be naturally occurring or injected or sprayed on the young cheese. Examples are Maytag and Point Reyes Blue in America, English Stilton (which also falls in the Natural Rind category), German Cambazola (which also falls in the Bloomy Rind category), Danish Saga Blue, Italian Gorgonzola and Spanish Cabrales.
  
• Uncooked, Pressed Cheeses - here the curd has not been heated or “cooked” to help solidify it. Instead the curds are pressed under lots of pressure to force out as much of the liquid whey as possible (each type has its own requirement here). They are then aged. Examples include English, Canadian and American Cheddars, Spanish Manchego, Italian Montasio.
  
• Cooked, Pressed Cheeses – these are cheese that are made from a curd that has been heated or “cooked” before it is pressed and aged. American and Dutch Goudas, English Cheshire, Italian Reggiano-Parmigiano, French and Swiss Emmental, Norwegian Jarlsberg, French Gruyere and Cantal are examples. To develop their true flavor these are usually all aged for many months.

Wine Families   

  Understanding Cheese and Wine

Related Topics: Describing Wine According to Flavor Profile

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