Cheese and wine pairing!

Cheese is the best invention man has ever made. And wine too. So the best thing in life, after the first one that everybody knows, ;), is pairing cheese with wine. I am not going to be boring but I want to summarize the main tips that will make your life wonderful.
With soft cheese characterized by a delicate milk aroma you should go for a fresh white wine like a young Chardonnay or, why not, some bubbles with a shy personality, like a Prosecco?
"Caprini"are cheeses made mainly from goat milk (there are in commerce also some from cow milk) with a stronger flavor. Many times they are conserved in oil with aromatic herbs or spices which makes them quite persistent in terms of taste and demanding in terms of wine. So, if you go for a white, be sure it's enough silky and perfumed. A barrique resting period would be welcome, otherwise, if at home you just have a red wine, be sure it has a medium structure. For my personal taste I prefer white wine combination, like a Verdicchio from Matelica!

Another category of cheese is the one with "washed crust". They are seasoned products (Taleggio and Robiola are an example) whose surface is washed with saulty water to avoid the mould and allowing the growing of batteria of red colour, which produce aromatic aromas reminding fermented fruit, sometimes very intense. I definetly love this type of cheese, I confess...technically speaking they need a strong wine to cope with their strong personality, but mellow enough to balance the  fatness and sweetness notes of the cheese. In this hard circumstances I love a Gewurztraminer from Alto Adige region. It's almost a dream!
The real dream and the most playful pairing come with seasoned cheeses. Playful because you can stretch the pairing from red wines with a really good structure, like a Barbera from Piemonte, up to sparkling wine made with champenois method, like a Franciacorta Brut. Let imagine yourself picking some bites of Parmesan or Grana cheese (for the difference between the two read my post parmigiano-reggiano-or-grana-padano) with a glass of sparkling wine, cleaning perfectly your mouth from the saulty and delicate fatness sensations left from the cheese swallowing....would you ask something more from life?:)

The problem of cheese are two: you are never tired of eating them (from starter to dessert) and you are never tired to pair them with wine because the variety of pairings is endless, depending on the cheese you choose or on the wine you have in your canteen. That actually wouldn't be a problem if in life calories were not existing! Who invented them!!? In any case when it comes to dessert forget about them, especially if your sweet treat will consist of "erborinati" cheeses with some jams and honey. A Passito wine is the perfect  pairing in my opinion. You can also dare with a fortified wine. As an example a Passito from Pantelleria, a Vin Santo from Tuscany or a Sauternes if you are in France.

                                          

But...Which is my favourite cheese? Definetly the Castelmagno, a paradise for senses, strong but at the same time elegant, the king of cheeses (il-re-dei-formaggi)!

Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano? This is the big dilemma!

Would you imagine to eat a yummy plate of spaghetti with fresh tomato without a wipe of parmesan cheese over it? And what about some fresh home-made potato gnocchi with Bolognese sauce (what we call "ragù")?
In the recent years, following the new trends, parmesan cheese has also become the king in aperitive buffets, accompanying chips and olives while enjoying a glass of good wine, especially if sparkling.
Parmesan cheese has entered into our daily routine as an essential ingredient, always present in our tables, most of the times grated and ready to be served to complement our "first" courses (pasta, risotto, gnocchi). And what about Grana Padano? Definetely it's less famous abroad than his brother despite they are very similar and they are both PDOs "certified" (protected denomination of origin).
Being from Veneto region I am used to it but to be more aware of what means eating Grana Padano instead of Parmigiano Reggiano I have decided to visit the "foreign territory" to upgrade my "foodies" culture.
That's the reason why I have decided to visit a Parmigiano Reggiano producer, Colla Spa (they actually produce both cheeses: for more information visit their web page www.collaspa.it), curious to see with my eyes the full production process and understand the main differences of this cheese compared to the Grana Padano. I have joined the Gourmetteria team and, as usual, we enjoyed so much.
And now it's the time to share what I have learnt.
The technical process followed for the production of Parmigiano and Grana is basically the same.What makes the big difference is the seasoning process and the cows nutrition.
The milk from which the cheese is produced comes necessarily from two milkings in the Parmigiano, one takes place in the morning and one in the evening (for Grana one milking would be allowed even if the pratice is to make two as for Parmesan). The milk generated from the cow in the evening is left 15 hours resting, reaching a 1.5% of fat. This milk is then mixed with the one produced the morning after which is fatter; this blend stabilize the fat at around 2.4%. This % is slightly lower in Grana Padano, for which the cheese making can develop throughout one single day from one or two milkings of partially skimmed milk that take place in the morning and the following one in the same evening, giving birth to a slightly less fat product.
In any case both of them are more suitable to keep us "fit" than mozzarella cheese, against most common belief that the latter is light and ideal for diets!
What about cows "meals"? Parmigiano cows are more spoiled! They eat only green forage and grass hay. The Grana Padano ones can eat also fermented forage that requires the addition of a natural preservative.
The minimum seasoning for Parmigiano is 12 months and it can reach up to 36. His younger brother has a minimum of 9 and a maximum of 24.
Last but not least, Grana Padano can be made in five regions north of the Po River in northern Italy - Padana basically means the Po River valley - while Parmigiano-Reggiano can only come from the cities of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna and Mantua.
Grano Padano is less saulty than Parmigiano with a more delicate flavor that makes it more ideal when it's used as a complementary ingredient.
My recommendation? Eats the one you like most and ... enjoy!

Il re dei formaggi

Ieri sera ho assaggiato per la prima volta in vita mia il Castelmagno d'Alpeggio del presidio Slow Food, un formaggio stagionato (almeno 4 mesi) di latte vaccino con minime aggiunte di latte ovino o caprino.

E' un formaggio unico nel suo genere. Il suo sapore forte non ti aggredisce. E' pazzesco come sia deciso ma delicato allo stesso tempo, forse anche per la sua friabilità.

Mi sono incuriosita e sono andata a vedermi un pò di storia: pare che l’'800 sia stata la sua epoca d’oro: il Castelmagno diventa il re dei formaggi piemontesi e compare nei menu dei più prestigiosi ristoranti di Parigi e Londra. Poi inizia la decadenza: con le guerre e lo spopolamento della montagna, il Castelmagno rischia seriamente di scomparire.

Oggi il Castelmagno in commercio è spesso prodotto in caseifici di valle ma ci sono ancora malgari che lavorano il latte delle proprie vacche in alpeggio secondo la tecnica antica, riunite nel Presidio Slow Food. Le malghe sono situate a quote superiori ai 1600 metri: qui, la grande varietà e fragranza delle erbe e dei fiori, arricchita dalle graminacee, conferisce al Castelmagno caratteristiche organolettiche di eccellenza.

E io confermo! Da abbinare col miele, è la sua morte.

Quanto al vino? Beh, io l'ho degustato con una buona birra di malto d'orzo, frumento di farro e segale dal sapore fresco ma deciso. Ci sta bene perchè pulisce la bocca e la grassezza lasciata dal formaggio!