Cheese

Giorgio Cravero and his family have been aging wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano in their caves since 1855. Each wheel arrives in the Piedmont at a year of age and is flipped every two weeks to ensure a smooth texture with delicate crystals throughout. Notes of sweet fresh cream give way to a robust, brothy finish. Pair with Prosecco and a drizzle of Villa Manadori aged Balsamic. 

Harbison, one of the only pasteurized cow’s milk cheeses produced by Jasper Hill Farm, has taken home top prizes at both the annual American Cheese Society conference and the World Cheese Awards, and you can always find it in the case at Dedalus. This spruce-banded, bloomy-rinded nugget boasts notes of mushrooms, butter, and a hint of funk. To best enjoy your Harbison, take it out of refrigeration at least a few hours before serving; our expert cheesemongers suggest even taking it out the night before. Slice the top rind off and dip in with a bag of Torres Iberian Ham potato chips.

Betty and Martin Koster source their Goudas from the best cheesemakers and cheesemaking co-operatives throughout the Netherlands. L’amuse signature is aged at a higher humidity and temperature than most Goudas. This keeps the paste moist and sweet, while still developing crunchy tyrosine crystals. Think butterscotch candy in cheese form. 

Jasper Hill Farm’s Bayley Hazen Blue has developed a loyal following, and for good reason. This raw cow’s milk blue-veined cheese is as creamy and fudgy as they come. Aged for just under 4 months, Bayley Hazen is perfect for both sweet and savory pairings. Melt a fat slice on a burger for the ultimate creamy, umami flavor bomb, or pick up any jar of V Smiley Preserves, for a trip down a honey-sweetened lane.

A delicious and highly decorated Gruyere from Fribourg, Switzerland. 1655 is aged by Fromage Gruyere SA, the smallest of the Gruyere Affineurs and selected from the premier dairies that they source from. 1655 shows considerable seasonal variation though each wheel shows distinct fruit notes up front with a long and savory finish. Pair with Fallot Whole Grain Mustard or England Preserves Red Onion Marmalade.

One of the last small-batch, natural-rind Manchegos in production, the cheesemakers at Sierra la Solana age these wheels a minimum of 6 months to best develop the flavors of the milk. The sheep’s unique diet of grasses, grains, and olives from the groves in which they graze results in a perfectly balanced and  complex flavor, carrying notes of buttered toast and green almonds. 

Sisters Molly & Katie Pindell make cheese just 35 miles east of our shop in Stowe. Sterling is inspired by the classic goat’s milk cheeses of France’s Loire Valley. Its distinct truncated pyramid shape calls to mind Valencay in particular. Sterling boasts a rich & creamy paste with a condensed milk sweetness and a tart finish when ripe. Try it alongside a classic Loire Valley white wine.

A rich and sweet goat’s milk Gouda sourced from a small farm in the Brabandt region of Holland. Aged under the watchful eye of Betty Koster at Fromagerie L’Amuse just outside of Amsterdam, Brabander is silky and sliceable, with a flavor like toasted marshmallows. Capable of convincing even the most goat-skeptic cheese lovers, Brabander is also incredibly wine-friendly, although we love it for a fun dessert bite, topped with some of Venchi's chocolate hazelnut spread. 

As the USA's oldest sheep dairy in operation, the cheesemakers at Vermont Shepherd certainly know what they're doing. Extra Aged Invierno is their raw mixed-milk cheese that benefits from an extended aging period in the caves - at least two years before hitting our counters. The cows' milk lends a little sweetness that plays nicely with the earthy richness of the creamery's own sheeps' milk. Expect notes of grass and roasted garlic, with a tiny bit of crunch.

A unique expression of one of France's most popular cheeses, available only at Dedalus. The affineurs at Marcel Petit make sure that they choose the perfect wheels throughout the year for our personally selected flavor profile. Notes of toasty cashew, beef broth, and roasted carrot coexist with Comte's classic buttery richness in these extremely limited edition wheels. All you need is a bit of Vin Jaune.

A traditional English style Clothbound Cheddar made right up the road in Shelburne, VT.  Shelburne’s take on this classic has big brothy notes with a bit of a kick reminiscent of onion or horseradish. Great with Edmund Fallot Walnut Mustard.

One of only two cheeses produced on Vermont Shepherd's farm, Verano, meaning "summer," is made only during the warm summer months when the sheep graze in the luscious pastures of Southern Vermont. Sweet and earthy with a fatty richness, Verano and a crisp bottle of Albarino will make any weeknight feel like a celebration. 

Shelburne Farms Three Year Cheddar is a counter favorite, and for good reason. An extra year of age gives this cheddar much more pronounced notes of tropical fruit and crunch.

A smooth and toothsome cheese, Sparkenhoe Red Leicester was essentially brought back from the dead. Cheesemakers David & Jo Clarke set out to revive a cheese that had only been known as an industrially produced supermarket cheese for 50 years. The Clarkes worked off an old recipe in order to create Leicester as remembered by the previous generation. A smooth cheese with a bit of brown butter sweetness and just a hint of citrusy tartness, Neal's Yard also makes sure to select the wheels with the nuttiest and longest-lasting flavor.

The classic Italian melting cheese. Fontina holds it out while standing apart from the swiss and french greats. Versatile and workable, this cheese holds its own on the cheeseplate as well with distinct notes of mushroom and cured meat.

Natural-rinded, raw milk, and made to an historic recipe on certified organic land near the coast of Wales, Hafod stands apart from the rest of the cheddar pack. 

Owner Patrick Holden prizes a low input system, grazing a small herd of Ayrshire cows on 300 acres, while Hafod’s cheesemakers approach their work with a combination of historicism and experimentation. Though Hafod began life in 2007 as a clothbound cheddar, recent flavour profile trials have led the cheesemakers to break with tradition - relinquishing the cloth binding in favour of an all-moulded rind. 

Expect an overall meaty, savoury quality, underpinned by a saline note that harkens back to the farm's maritime climate. With a hint of sweet mustard near the rind, Hafod is a great choice for those who prefer their cheeses without that characteristic cheddar acidity.

Once the most well-known and widely-available British cheese, true Cheshire is now one of the rarest of birds. In fact, there remains only one surviving farmhouse Cheshire producer in the UK - the Appleby family on Hawkstone Farm. The farm is currently owned and operated by Sarah Appleby, who - together with cheesemaker Garry Gray - oversees cheese production, and her husband Paul, who takes care of the cattle and ensures their milk is of the highest quality. Their herd of cows graze on Shropshire's mineral-rich grasses, resulting in a flinty but still super rich paste.

Parish Hill's distinctly Vermonter take on an Italian Fontina style. This gorgeous natural rind cheese is given a wash in beer brine as part of its aging process, resulting in a flavor that's savory while retaining that nutty Vermont Terroir.

One of family cheesemakers Casa Madaio's most precious wheels, this sheeps' milk cheese is aged to crystalline perfection in natural stone caves perfumed with locally-sourced spring herbs. A bit of toothy bite gives way to flavors of sweet thyme blossoms and sun-baked grasses.

Jan, Roos, and their single herd of cows make these intensely crystalline wheels on a tiny island in South Holland. Wilde Weide carries a much brighter flavor profile than other goudas - think perfectly ripe pineapple and an undercurrent of toasted cashews and sweet cream butter. One of our favorite summertime snackers.

High Lawn Farm's well-tended herd of Jersey cows produce some stunningly rich cheeses. Monger-favorite Crema Alpina takes inspiration from old-world Taleggio, but keeps it local. Washed in Down East cider, Crema Alpina is bouncy, bright, and funky with a buttery finish. Try it with a dollop of mandarin marmalade, or on top of your next homemade pizza for a perfectly melty bite.

A masterful sheeps' milk offering from the affinatori of Casa Madaio. A dark, earthy rind surrounds a rich golden paste with notes of roasted hazelnuts and wild honey, with a gentle sheepy finish.

Calling forth a breezy spring day on Tuscan hillsides, Marzolino is a young, incredibly nuanced sheeps' milk. Made from the first grassfed milkings of the year, once the winter breaks and the sheep are turned out to pasture. The stone-shaped cheeses are then rubbed with olive oil and tomato; Marzolino is herbaceous and bouncy, with a slightly funky, sheepy finish. A beautiful snapshot of Tuscan terroir.

Made by the Cerron family in La Mancha since 1987, this ten month-aged goat cheese brings a creamy. crumbly texture and a spicy bite that's offset by an almost sherry-like sweetness. This bold and complex goat's milk cheese pairs with well with almost all charcuterie and floral rose wines.

Produced with goat's milk singularly sourced from the herb-laden hills of Gerrei in south-eastern Sardinia, the subtle flavors of Lentischio are unmistakably fragrant and floral; notes of citrus and artichoke hide within the dense, crumbly paste of this truly exceptional aged caprino: the perfect cheese for lovers of Sardinian pecorinos looking to branch into new and exciting territory.

 

Aged for one year, this mixed-milked sheep and cow cheese has flavors that land somewhere between a bright, mouthwatering pecorino and a rich robust asiago—with a creamy-but-toothsome texture that will convince even the pickiest of cheese eaters that there's more to life than just cheddar. Try it melted on a grilled cheese or straight off the block as a next-level midnight snack