W
hen most consumers think about
Spanish cheese, Manchego is probably
first on their list. And for many, that's
where any familiarity with Iberian cheese ends.
Despite Spain's wealth of artisan-made wheels,
many of them well priced, consumers don't
embrace these products as readily as they do the
cheeses of France and Italy. I see this hesitation
myself in the relative popularity of my own classes
on French, Italian, and Spanish cheeses.
Introducing consumers to off-the-beaten-path
Spanish cheeses can be a rewarding endeavor,
distinguishing your store's selection from the
competition and showcasing your expertise. Spain's
cheesemakers excel at aged sheep and goat cheeses,
ideal for heartier autumn cheese boards and for
cross-merchandising with membrillo, Marcona
almonds, dried fruit and nut cakes, Spanish wines,
and sherries.
Michele Buster of Forever Cheese, one of
the most active importers of cheese from Spain,
predicts a shortfall in the supply of aged Manchego
in the coming months due to a shortage of
Manchega milk. No better time, then, to acquaint
customers with some of Spain's lesser-known
cheeses. A few standouts:
El Abuelo Ruperto: "Uncle Rupert" is one of
Forever Cheese's newer Spanish imports, a cheese
that struggled to launch during the pandemic but is
gaining traction now. It's sublime, a seven-pound
farmstead wheel from the raw milk of Lacaune sheep,
the same prized breed used for Roquefort. Made in
the Rioja region and matured for about eight months,
El Abuelo Ruperto "has such sweetness to it," says
importer Buster. Expect aromas of pineapple and
roasted nuts and a sweet finish.
Alisios: From the Canary
Islands, this mixed-
milk wheel (70
percent cow's milk,
30 percent goat's
milk) resembles
Majorero, the
islands' signature
goat cheese. An
external rub of
ruddy Spanish
pimentón infuses the
paste with an earthy,
peppery aroma; the
flavor is tangy but with a
balancing sweetness. A two-
pound wheel matured for about
five months, Alisios won a Super Gold
at the 2016 World Cheese Awards.
Arzúa-Ulloa: Spain isn't known for cow's milk
cheeses, but this one is superb, made in Galicia
and awarded a PDO in 2010. Weighing only a kilo
and matured for just two weeks, the cheese has an
oil-rubbed natural rind and a soft, supple, creamy
interior. Forever Cheese imports it, and Buster
describes it as meaty and satisfying, rounder and
fuller in flavor than Tetilla, the better-known but
similar cow's milk cheese from the same area.
PHOTOS: FRANCESCO SAPIENZA
FALL 2021 25
