by Patrick Schroeder, Prepared Foods Category Manager
This month, like we have the past five years, we will be showcasing 16 cheeses in a head-to-head bracket-style competition during March Madness. Each Thursday through Sunday during the event (March 19 through March 29), at least two cheeses will be sampled in each of our stores and customers will vote on their favorite. Votes are tallied and the cheese with the most votes will move on to the next round.
Something we often see during the Cheese Challenge is a propensity for the boldest and/or oldest cheeses to get the most votes. Understandably so! These are the cheeses with the most pronounced characteristics and the strongest flavors. I’m here to shine a light on all of the types of cheese that you will be able to sample during the Cheese Challenge to arm you with what to look for in the tasting of them—whether it be soft and mild, nutty and bold, sharp and crumbly, or even spreadable!
Spreadable Cheeses
The competition this year features two spreadable cheeses: a Cheddar Spread from Wollersheim Winery featuring their Prairie Fumé wine and a Salsa Spread from Renard’s Cheese. Two very different animals! When tasting these spreads, against each other or another cheese, look for a smooth texture that isn’t grainy and has an even “melt” when you hold them on your tongue or palate.
Semi-Soft Cheeses
Many of this year's competitors fall into this category. Softer cheeses are usually not as popular with our Cheese Challenge tasters as cheeses with more age to them are, but there are many wonderful characteristics to look for as you taste cheeses like Carr Valley Airco, Marieke Smoked Gouda, Deer Creek Robin, Roth Prairie Sunset, Farmer John’s Asiago, and Hidden Springs Timber Coulee. Depending on which of these you are able to try, you may want to look for a nice springiness to the “bite” of the paste. In the case of the cheeses with sheep’s milk, you may find a rich “lanolin” flavor (think wet wool sweater) that many tasters find pleasing. You may also detect notes of fresh butter, sweet cream, and toasted nuts. Take your time and let the paste of the cheese melt somewhat against your tongue.
Cheddars (and cousins)
It wouldn’t be a cheese competition in Wisconsin without a healthy contingent of ched-to-ched combat. If you are sampling cheddars such as Red Barn Farm’s 5-Year Heritage Cheddar, Cesar’s Sharp Cheddar, Renard’s Terrific Trio, or even Sartori’s Bellavitano (the latter two being cheddar hybrids of sorts), you may bear witness to notes of fruitiness, hazelnuts, burnt butter, or even a tangy, slightly bitter, lactic bite. You’ll want to keep an eye out for tyrosine—little pockets of built-up amino acids that taste like salt crystals and give the older cheddars (and hybrids) a distinctive texture.
Alpine Cheeses
Two stand-out competitors in this year’s competition are Alpine-style cheeses (think Gruyere, Beaufort, Comte and the like) by Uplands Cheese and Roth Wisconsin: the Pleasant Ridge Reserve and the Roth Private Reserve. Alpine-style cheeses are made and aged in a very specific method to produce a wide array of flavors for tasters to enjoy. The rinds on these cheeses are specially maintained through a process of brining, brushing, and air-curing that produces complex flavors that can take some patience to sort through during tasting. Look for minerally, earthy, herbaceous, and aromatic characteristics that pair well with more familiar nutty, buttery backbones.
Blue Cheeses
In the world of cheese, I’m not sure there is a food that is more divisive than a blue cheese. Often, one encounters lovers and haters but very few toleraters. In March at our stores you may encounter two blue cheeses in the competition: Hook’s Blue Paradise and Salemville’s Amish Blue. While both are blue cheeses, they present somewhat differently. In either, you may experience a pleasant “piquant” flavor and a touch of earthiness. Even if you’re not historically a fan of blue cheeses, seek out enjoyment of Blue Paradise’s deep creaminess (it’s made with added cream) or the Amish Blue’s clean and straightforward tang.
I hope some of these notes about tasting cheese will help some tasters more fully appreciate our competition this year. I would like to emphasize, however, that in the end, it will mostly just come down to, “I like this,” and, “I don’t like this,” and that’s just fine! Most importantly, we want you all to get out the vote this March and meet us at our 6th Annual Willy Street Co-op Cheese Challenge. See you then!