February 20, 2024
Cheese Wisdom: An intense blue for those who like adventure
Bold and funky — not a cheese for people who prefer ‘delicate’ flavors
by Anita Skogland
Valdeon, Castilla y Leon, Spain
Where to Purchase: The Loyalist Market, Matthews
Price: $25.99/lb.
The Style: A very bold blue. The color is an intense grey with dark blue veins and a slim, dark beige rim around the edges. This cheese is typically wrapped in chestnut, sycamore, or maple leaves.
Flavor Profile: Very strong aroma of tobacco and earth. The palate has a hint of sweetness, mocha, and yeast with a lot of funky tang — notes of spice and very salty. The texture is creamy, almost spreadable.
How to Enjoy: Slightly warm with sweet apples and dark chocolate, with smoked and salty meats and fish. Crumbled onto a hearty greens salad.
Wine Pairings: Port, Cava, Prosecco, high acid whites, Beaujolais.
Extra Reading: This cheese has been produced in the mountains of northwest Spain for many years. It is made from goat’s and cow’s milk in the summer, but only cow’s milk in the winter. It is typically cave-aged, however there are cheeseries where they age the cheese in humidity-controlled rooms. The rounds are aged 2-3 months before being released for sale.
