the cheese blog

Weinkase Lagrein and Ardrahan

I made another, albeit unplanned, trip to Tria this afternoon. The cheese menu was lacking local cheeses (just Cherry Grove Toma) and there were only a couple American cheeses (e.g.,Vermont Butter and Cheese Company Bonne Bouche). I decided to try the cheese on their Sunday Fermentation School menu — Weinkase Lagrein — and one of their Stinky cheeses — Ardrahan.

The Weinkase Lagrein comes from Alto Adige in northern Italy. Lagrein grapes are grown in this region, up towards the Austrian border. The rind of the cheese is deep purple after being in a bath of Lagrein wine for four days. Apparently, garlic and black pepper are also added to the bath. The interior had a nice off white to slightly pale yellow color. The paste is semi-firm with eyes near the center. The aroma is mild, with hints of grass and wildflowers. The taste is also a bit mild with a buttery taste. Tria compared it to a havarti, I thought it was closer to a mild swiss.

The second cheese was Ardrahan. There is a cow farm that I pass when I’m doing 60+ mile bike rides around south New Jersey. The smell downwind is terrible, but slightly compelling as well. The smell of manure, hay, and barnyard funk is overwhelming depending on how strong the wind is that day. That was the exact thought going through my mind when I smelled the Ardrahan. My second thought was how could an Irish cheese have this kind of aroma, which would put a lot of French cheeses to shame!

Ardrahan is from County Cork, Ireland. It is a washed-rind cow’s milk cheese, made from the milk of Friesan Holstein cows that, according to Artisinal, are the oldest registered pedigree of their type in Ireland. The aroma, well, it’s as said above. It beyond barnyard! The interior is semi-soft. The taste was very earthy with a heavy emphasis of mushrooms, and a slight taste of eggs and hay. It had a buttery texture, with some eyes throughout the paste. I really, really loved this cheese. It was just over the top in terms of barnyard aromas and earthy taste. This is a serious “love it it hate it” cheese. Since my SO didn’t dig it, I got to enjoy the entire wedge.