We’ve already covered soft, gooey cheeses<\/a> (like \u00c9poisses<\/a> and Vacherin Mont d\u2019Or<\/a>); soft, dollopy cheeses (fromage blanc, ricotta<\/a>, and mascarpone<\/a>, for example); semi-soft, fudgy cheeses<\/a> (most blues and block cheddars); semi-soft, spreadable cheeses<\/a> (fresh ch\u00e8vre<\/a>, Camembert<\/a>, and cream cheese); semi-firm, crumbly cheeses<\/a> (think ricotta salata, cotija<\/a>, and Caerphilly<\/a>); semi-firm, supple cheeses (including Abondance<\/a>, Jarlsberg<\/a>, and young gouda<\/a>); firm, toothsome cheeses<\/a> (such as Comt\u00e9<\/a>, Gruy\u00e8re<\/a>, and aged block cheddars); and hard, flaky cheeses<\/a> (e.g. gouda<\/a> and clothbound cheddar<\/a>).<\/p>\n The very last category of our guide is Hard, Grating Cheeses<\/strong>. This is cheese dry enough to suck the moisture out of your mouth. A grating cheese is so hard that it is difficult to cut, and is often served as shards or shredded over a dish. Grating cheeses have such low moisture contents that they are shelf-stable. Freuently they are aged for multiple years. Examples include Parmigiano Reggiano<\/a>, Dry Jack<\/a>, and Pecorino Romano<\/a>.<\/p>\n Eau Galle Aged Asiago<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n An apprenticeship in Switzerland inspired Leo Buhlman to make cheese and establish Eau Galle—pronounced o-galley<\/em>—in Wisconsin in 1945. Naturally, he started producing Swiss-style cheeses but over time shifted to in-demand Italian cheeses, which continue to be the company\u2019s specialty. Currently, Eau Galle is overseen by Leo\u2019s son, John, and operated by members of the Buhlman family, who still do things the traditional way, starting with sourcing high-quality milk from local family farms. Aged 5 to 12 months, their beguilingly complex asiago—which is slightly softer in texture than Parmigiano Reggiano<\/a>—received a Best in Class nod at the 2015 United States Championship Cheese Contest.<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Butter, nuts, tangy Italian-inspired, Wisconsin-made: This butterscotchy, intensely savory cheese is made in the style of Italian PDO cheese Grana Padano<\/a>, says Christophe Megevand, vice president of cheesemaking operations at Arthur Schuman, the company behind Cello Riserva cheeses made at Lake Country Dairy in Turtle Lake, Wis. Grainy and crystal-studded, Copper Kettle Parmesan snagged a blue ribbon at the 2015 American Cheese Society Judging & Competition.<\/p>\n As with the European cheeses it emulates, milk is cooked in a copper-lined vat. The reaction between metal and warmed milk fat results in a \u201cmore caramelized and very unique\u201d flavor profile, Megevand says. He recommends chiseling off nuggets of this sweet, nutty cheese to taste with wine before dinner. \u201cIt melts in your mouth and give you an incredible trip,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Butterscotch, caramelized fruit, toasted pecans If you consider Grana Padano an underdog compared it to its famous cousin Parmigiano Reggiano, think again: The grateable Italian classic was named overall best Italian cheese at the recent 2015 International Cheese Awards in Nantwich, England. Ferrari Giovanni\u2019s Riserva version, which is aged over 20 months, owes its success to many factors: quality raw milk, cheesemaking expertise, and careful maturation.<\/p>\n The latter phase is carried out at Ferrari, which carefully selects wheels from local dairies and ages them to perfection. This entails more than letting wheels chill out in the cave. \u201cThe oldest cheese is not necessarily the best one,\u201d CEO Laura Ferrari says. \u201c[The cheeses] need to be kept properly, as we do in our warehouse with patience and competence.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to maturing quality cheeses, Ferrari specializes in developing efficient methods of distribution. The company pioneered the packaged, pre-grated cheese trend in the 1970s—this year marks the 30th anniversary of its first \u201cGranMix,\u201d a shredded me\u0301lange of Parmigiano Reggiano, Swiss Emmentaler<\/a>, and Grana Padano.<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Caramel, dried fruit, hay, floral Even the air has a salty flavor on the island of Pag—especially in the winter, when a cool, dry wind tumbles down from mountaintops and whips drops of seawater into the air. The droplets settle on the island and dry, creating a salty dust that blankets the landscape in white. This ensures that only the toughest plants, such as the resilient and fragrant Pas\u030cka sage, survive here—the unique saline environment influences the local milk, which, of course, is reflected in the cheese.<\/p>\n Sirana Gligora recently built a new facility on the island to process milk purchased from more than 200 island shepherds, as well as from farmers throughout Dalmatia. The dairy uses a quarter of that milk to produce traditional Pag island Pas\u030cki Sir, while transforming the rest into more original creations, such as this hard cow\u2019s milk cheese. Dairy founder Ivan Gligora developed Kolan in 1996, naming it after the village where the operation is located. The robust World Cheese Awards–winning version was aged twice as long as the original—six months instead of three—deepening its subtle nutty undertones and firming up its already-dense paste.<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Butter, toasted nuts, grass Grana Padano Riserva<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n Various iterations of Parmigiano Reggiano<\/a> took home a combined 22 medals at the last World Cheese Awards, but this Super Gold– clinching version topped them all. What does it take to stand out among the \u201cKing of Cheeses\u201d? Try using the milk from a rare local breed—the Vacche Rosse, or Red Cow—as the Castellani family did to make this triumphant, 26-month-aged wheel.<\/p>\n First milked by monks 1,000 years ago to create the original versions of Parmigiano Reggiano, the breed was popular until after World War II, when it was gradually replaced with more economical Brown Swiss<\/a> and Holsteins<\/a>. The Vacche Rosse population dwindled to fewer than 1,000 in the 1980s, but today, thanks to the effort of cheesemakers like those at third-generation farmstead Grana d\u2019Oro, its numbers are on the rise again.<\/p>\n \u201cThe characteristics of the cheese are particular, due to the nutritional characteristics of the milk,\u201d says Grana d\u2019Oro manager Luciana Pedroni. Vacche Rosse milk contains casein micelles that keep the cheese stable as it ages and ultimately aid in protein and lipid digestion. Plus, it\u2019s rich in fatty acids that may lead to increased muscle tissue and fat loss. Products derived from the milk supplement nutrition, which is particularly important for athletes and anyone who enjoys, according to the Vacche Rosse Consortium, \u201can intense life.\u201d<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Fruit, grass, subtly sharp Caseificio Il Fiorino produces a range of pecorino-style cheeses in the village of Roccalbegna in Tuscany. The legacy of cheesemaking is important here on the province of Grosseto—where up to 65 percent of all Tuscan milk is produced. Perhaps that\u2019s why Angela Fiorini dedicated this cheese to her father, the founder (fondatore<\/i>) of the dairy she manages today. Fiorini and her husband, Simone Sargentoni, originally wanted to create a pecorino, but something larger than usual, inspired by massive wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano. Considering that kind of stature and the specific qualities of local sheep\u2019s milk, \u201cthey thought that a special cheese would be born,\u201d says export manager Antonella Diquattro. After much experimentation they settled on a recipe that makes 44-pound wheels of this hard and grateable, intense yet creamy cheese.<\/p>\n \u201cThe result was—and still is—excellent,\u201d Diquattro says. The World Cheese Awards judges concur: They crowned the full-flavored cheese with a Super Gold.<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Fruit, almonds, vegetal, sweet Sartori SarVecchio Parmesan<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n Italian immigrant Paolo Sartori founded this family-run cheese company in 1939. Today, Sartori sources milk from the same Wisconsin dairy farmers it\u2019s worked with for generations to produce a growing line of aged Italian-style cheeses, with an increasing emphasis on unusual rubs and flavors like citrus-ginger<\/a>, espresso<\/a>, raspberry<\/a>, Cognac, and chai<\/a> (for its award-winning BellaVitano line). The celebrated SarVecchio Parmesan<\/a>—aged a minimum of 20 months, twice as long as the company\u2019s classic Parmesan—retains a creamy texture and sweetness with minimal saltiness, making it ideal for snacking and cooking.<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Fruit, caramel Check out the best hard, grating cheeses of 2015!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":28817,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27800],"tags":[],"coauthors":[842],"class_list":["post-28812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-awards"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Eau](\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/EauGalle_AgedAsiago_lrg.jpg\")
Aged Asiago<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Unoaked chardonnay finds harmony in the cheese\u2019s buttery notes, but for more contrast, try a dry riesling.<\/p>\n
\nCello Riserva Copper Kettle Parmesan<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Uncork a big red wine, like Barolo, to match the imposing flavors in this cheese.<\/p>\n![\"celloriserva_copperkettleparm_lrg\"](\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/CelloRiserva_CopperKettleParm_lrg.jpg\")
Cello Riserva Copper Kettle Parmesan<\/em><\/div>\nGrana Padano Riserva<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Grana Padano loves honey and balsamic vinegar from Modena, Italy. For a special twist, dollop it with jam made from Mandarino Tardivo di Ciaculli, a late-season mandarin grown just outside of Palermo in Sicily.<\/p>\n
\nKolan Extra Mature<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Plate Kolan Extra Mature with plum jam and apples. Turn to Croatia for the ultimate wine pairing—a softer red, such as a cuve\u0301e from Vina Vrsaljko, specifically.<\/p>\n![\"Grana](\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/GranaPadano_Riserva_lrg.jpg\")
Parmigiano Reggiano<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Grana d\u2019Oro manager Luciana Pedroni pours full-bodied Lambrusco with this cheese. White wine will do, too—particularly malvasia.<\/p>\n
\nPecorino Riserva del Fondatore<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Diquattro suggests presenting this cheese with an intense Italian red, which will stand up to its strong personality—try Morellino di Scansano or Brunello di Montalcino. Or, bake the pecorino into asparagus gratin.<\/p>\n![\"Sartori](\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Sartori_SarVecchioParm_lrg.jpg\")
SarVecchio Parmesan<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Shred it on pasta dishes before broiling\u2014natural sugars in the cheese create a crisp, brown crust.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"