Tasting Notes
In Brief
Has the hard, smooth clean appearance of a Piave Vecchio. In taste it is closest to the Spanish hard goat's milk Ibores, mild and slightly granular.
Appearance
Natural smooth hard rind that develops a slight white mold when aged. The paste is uniform and dense, with a greenish-yellow color.
Smell/Aroma
The rind has a mild animal scent, with a clean spicy note reminiscent of both sheep and goat. By contrast, the paste has a mild, nutty aroma.
Flavor
Mild to medium in strength. At first mild and milky. As the cream permeates the palate, it gains depth and complexity. Dry and toothsome, with a slightly granular texture.
Seasonal Availability
Available from September to June. It is produced from end of June to early September.
Wine Suggestions
Goes well with most any wine, but will favor the lighter reds and more complex whites. Ciders and ales of top quality bring a different light to this cheese.
Additional Information/ Trivia
Cheesemaking is relatively new to the nomads of Tibet, who predominantly make butter with the fat-rich milk from the female yak. Much like the American Farmstead cheeses, the traditions are being built today, and the quality is ever improving. Two summers ago, a Swiss and two Italian master cheesemakers went to live with the nomads and developed a cheese that is radically different from the initial cheese. Their inspiration came from two Alpine cheeses that are very consistent and age very well: Fontina Val d'Aosta and Piave. The cheese created is a cooked curd, pressed cheese. Like a Parmigiano-Reggiano, most of the whey is expelled, making it a cheese suited to a long maturing. At first, the cheese ages high up in the grasslands where it is made; then with the fall of Winter, the nomads move their flocks and cheeses to the valley, where the cheeses mature in a specially designed maturing room. They are turned, salted and brushed regularly. At six months they are released and shipped to the US.
|
