Sheep's Milk Cheese

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. 

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.

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. 

A story so dreamy it sounds unreal: a CIA agent working in WWII Spain meets The Count of Romanones and falls in love. Together, they regenerate his Extremadura estates, with the goal of preserving traditional cheesemaking methods. Ridiculously spoiled sheep range free on the green fields, their feed supplemented by the farm’s own sweet granola mix; their rich milk produces these tiny, rugby ball shaped cheeses. These golden little wheels are floral and sweet, with notes of marigold and honey with a slightly wooly finish.

 

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.

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.

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

A fresh and bright slice of terroir from La Mancha. Albala is named for a grove in the Guadiana river where the two cheesemakers of Finca Fuentillezjos swam as children. Made with minimal ripening, Albala is essentially a fresh version of Fuentillezjos Manchego. Buttery, round and rich, with a texture that would be suitable for cooking as well as snacking on with a bit of Chorizo or Salchichon.