Cheese Types
Cheese, like wine, is produced in a variety of styles. From fresh and creamy to aged and crumbly, there's a cheese for every wine and everyone. With so many flavors, shapes and textures, it's important to understand the basics of cheese in order to help navigate your way to discovering your favorites.
Fresh Cheese
Fresh cheeses are usually white, soft and spreadable without a rind. They are made without any fermentation, mold or preservatives. Mascarpone, Ricotta, Chevre, Feta, Cream Cheese, Cottage Cheese
Soft/Bloomy Cheese
Cheeses with a soft, creamy or almost runny texture, sometimes with a white, soft and slightly fuzzy "bloomy" rind. These cheeses ripen from the outside in and usually have extra cream added to boost the fat content for richer taste. Brie, Camembert, Goat, La Tur, Brillat Savarin, Ricotta Salata
Semi-Soft Cheese
Uncooked pressed cheeses that are dense, smooth and generally creamy with little to no rind. Usually high in moisture content, these cheeses range from very mild to very pungent in flavor. Colby, Fontina, Havarti, Monterey Jack, Muenster, Provolone
Firm/Hard Cheese
Cheeses that are cooked and/or pressed, with or without rinds, with as much liquid expelled from them as possible. Can be aged 1-2 years, even up to 6 like aged Gouda. Gouda, Cheddar, Dry Jack, Swiss, Parmesan
Blue Cheese
Cheeses inoculated with bacteria or penicillin, creating blue/green veining throughout resulting in intense, unique flavors. Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Stilton, Cabrales, Cambozola
Wash-Rind Cheese
Cheeses that are treated or cured by being brushed, rubbed, washed or immersed in brine of salt, wine, beer or grape brandy to add a unique flavor to the cheese. Gruyère, Gouda, Munster, Asiago, Manchego, Provolone, Roquefort