Week 13 – Ardiri Winery guest starring Reina, Shannon, and Carlotta

As an early celebration for Reina’s upcoming birthday, Shannon planned us a girls day at Ardiri Winery, and we couldn’t have asked for a nicer day. It’s seriously beautiful out there, we kept wondering aloud why we don’t do this every weekend; gorgeous views, bring your own lunch, and delicious (reasonably priced) wine. Shout out and big thanks to Art, our faithful chauffer, who let us get our drink on with wild abandon (who also put up with four screaming drunk women in the back of his car, loud is the only volume we know). I took a ton of photos, so I’ll let them speak for themselves.

And of course, I used this as an excuse to get our cheese on. With the help of the lovely Ashley at Fred Meyer (who hooked me up with some 50% off because we’re both nice people), together we picked out three interesting cheeses that I was very excited to try. She recommended (and just a general cheese plate rule of thumb) and hard cheese (manchego), soft cheese (Seastack), and a

flavor heavy cheese (Midnight Moon).

Manchego: Manchego is a sheep’s milk cheese, from the La Mancha region of Spain (you might recognize La Mancha from Don Quixote), using milk from the manchega breed of sheep. Manchego cheese has been made for thousands of years (literally thousands. It can be dated back to the Bronze age, 3000 BC).

Traditionally (and locally) manchego is made using unpasteurized milk, however it’s made with pasteurized milk in the states (thanks FDA). Manchego is protected and classified under Spain’s D.O. (Denominación de Origen) and the European Union’s P.D.O (Protected Designation of Origin) established to protect the agricultural quality of food and beverages. Some other items that are also PDO protected: beer, wine, cheese (obvi), ham, sausage, etc.

There are four different kinds of manchego determined by age, ranging from a few weeks to two years. Ours was aged in the three to six month range making it a curado. The four kinds are (and this is straight up copied from Wikipedia, so no one pop me with copy write infringement):

Fresco: Fresh cheese is aged for only 2 weeks, with a rich but mild flavor. Produced in small quantities, it is rarely found outside Spain. Semicurado: A semi-firm cheese aged for three weeks to three months, somewhat milder than curado. Curado: A semi-firm cheese aged for three to six months with a sweet and nutty flavor. Viejo: Aged for one year is firm with a sharper flavor the longer it is aged and a rich deep pepperiness to it.

Remember when I said I don’t do any research on cheeses beforehand? Well, turns out there’s is a downside to that. As I’ve learned, the rind is 'inedible' which, I beg to differ, because we definitely ate it. Whoops. In original production, the cheese curds were pressed in esparto grass baskets, leaving a distinct zig-zap pattern on the rind. Today, a mold is used, and the tops and bottoms of the wheel are pressed with a pattern resembling an ear of wheat.

The cheese itself is buttery and creamy, a little on the sweet side with some caramel notes. Part of its unique flavor can be attributed to the grass the sheep’s graze on in the area. It pairs well with a nice Pinot Noir (although all three cheese do), almonds (to accentuate the nutty flavor) or quince (we paired with pineapple, raspberries and apples). Manchego is a versatile cheese that can be used in tons of dishes, from pasta, to tapas, and anywhere in between.

Mt. Townsend Creamery’s Seastack: In 2005, three friends with a passion for cheese established Mt. Townsend Creamery utilizing local dairy farms for their milk. Mt. Townsend Creamery is located in Port Townsend, one of the most very northwest parts of the State of Washington. Seastack is named after the rock formations on the Olympic peninsula coastline.

Seastack is a soft, semi-lactic, cow’s milk cheese, aged for 2-3 weeks. ‘Semi-lactic’ means in the cheese making process, curdling is done more by lactic acid than by rennet, giving the cheese a more velvety texture. Seastack ripens from the outside in, with a bloomy rind coated with a layer of vegetable ash and sea salt, used to aid the growth of white mold. As the white mold breaks down, creaminess spreads throughout the inside, giving the cheese its flavor and texture.

This was the fan favorite of the day, I easily could have gobbled down the entire wheel by myself. It’s a little on the pricey side (16 bucks for the wheel, which is why I got the 50% off hook up, you can get it cheaper online) but is well worth the edible investment. The flavor has much more depth than a Brie, the creamy center tasting of mushrooms and garlic, while getting a hint of salt from the rind. I paired it with a few things, salami and some fruit, and while it all tasted good, the cheese has so much flavor on its own I would recommend just having on a cracker, to not muddle the flavor notes.

Cypress Grove Chevre’s Midnight Moon: Midnight Moon is a gouda-style goat’s milk cheese, aged for 6 months plus, made in Holland, and distributed exclusively from Cypress Grove Creamery down in Arcata, California. It has a black wax rind that is clearly inedible (thank you).

Midnight Moon does not taste like a typical goat cheese, truly pulling flavors of a Gouda. Midnight Moon is a softer cheese than the manchego, but has a lot of similar flavor profiles. Both have that creamy delicate texture, with nutty and caramel notes, the Midnight Moon also has a salty crunch that the manchego lacked. It paired well with the salami, the bold meaty flavor accentuated the sweet tones of the Midnight Moon.

And on that note: