WINE CHEESE – lactose-free – Cheese Wheel
Made from natural cow’s milk with 45% FDM | whole cheese wheel | 8.1 kg weight
The Hay Milk Wine Cheese Wheel by experienced cheesemaker Christof Schneider is a true delicacy that combines top quality and exceptional taste. This special cheese is based on carefully selected semi-hard cheese wheels from various renowned dairies in the Bregenzerwald, known for their traditional cheese craftsmanship.
After selection, the cheese is taken to the Berchtold family’s cheese cellar, where it is carefully nurtured and aged. A unique feature of this wine cheese is its treatment with Austrian red wine.
The rind of the cheese is regularly rubbed with red wine during the aging process, giving it a distinctive, spicy wine aroma. This unique process ensures the cheese stands out not only in taste but also in appearance – with a cream-white, holey cut surface made of semi-firm dough.
The wine cheese wheel is made from the finest hay milk, which not only imparts its full-bodied flavor but also guarantees high quality and sustainability. Hay milk comes from cows fed exclusively with fresh grass and hay, making the cheese particularly natural and aromatic.
Additionally, the cheese is lactose-free, allowing even people with lactose intolerance to enjoy this exquisite product.
Lactose-free aged cheese: The natural milk sugar in our hay milk cheese is broken down by lactic acid bacteria. Result: lactic acid plus excellent flavor and aroma development.
With its unique taste and top-quality production, this wine cheese is a true delight for anyone who appreciates premium cheese.
Wine cheese is rubbed with the best Austrian red wine during aging, giving it a typical flavor and a dark red to almost black-red rind thanks to the wine treatment.
Our wine cheese belongs to our family of mild cheese varieties featured in our shop.
Characteristics of Wine Cheese
Our wine cheese wheel gains a spicy wine aroma through careful manual care, where its rind is rubbed with the finest Austrian red wine. The cheese’s cut surface is cream-white, beautifully holey, and firm.
This exquisite wine cheese with soft melting, smooth texture and occasional cherry-sized holes is a favorite of many cheese lovers. Its mild and distinctive taste and soft texture also make it a favorite among locals and guests.
Its distinctive aroma is achieved through manual care, as we massage its rind with premium Austrian red wine.
The characteristic properties of wine cheese are significantly influenced by the high-quality alpine milk, its ingredients, flavor, and consistency, as well as the Vorarlberg alpine flora.
This results in the exceptional quality of alpine cheese.
Further interesting details on semi-hard cheese can be found on Wikipedia.
Historical Background of Vorarlberg Cheese
Cheese has been produced and aged in Vorarlberg’s alpine and valley dairies since the early 20th century.
The production method of “fat cheese” (as opposed to low-fat cheese such as Montafon’s Sura Käs) originally came from Switzerland and quickly spread in the Bregenzerwald region.
Semi-hard cheeses are made from natural (non-thermized, pasteurized, or centrifugal-separated) (hay milk) with at least 45% FDM.
Thanks to small-scale farming, which supplies the raw materials, and traditional alpine dairy practices, the artisanal production and traditional care of high-quality cheeses have been preserved to this day.
Further interesting details about semi-hard cheese can be found on Wikipedia.
Wine Cheese Holes
The wine cheese has occasional cherry-sized holes. Its cut surface is cream-white, beautifully holey, and firm.
Wine Cheese Rind
The wine cheese rind is regularly treated with Austrian red wine, making it red. Due to the sticky wine coating, it is not intended for consumption.
Storage and Aging of Wine Cheese
Wine cheese is aged for about 4 months in our cheese cellar before it is ready to enjoy.
Special Quality Features of Our Semi-Hard Cheese
- The rind of cheese forms when the wheels are dipped in a iodine-free salt bath after shaping.
- The salt bath promotes rind formation and acts against bacteria. Depending on the cheese variety, the wheels remain in the salt bath for varying lengths of time.
- The salt draws water out of the cheese wheel. The cheese wheels are then regularly treated with iodine-free salt & brine until fully aged.
A Delight for Your Palate
The specialty of wine cheese lies in its mild, unique cheese flavor paired with wine notes.
Wine Cheese Intensity
How mild or spicy is the cheese? Rated on a scale from 0 (mild) to 10 (spicy).
5/10
Wine Cheese Texture
How firm is the cheese? Rated on a scale from 0 (soft) to 10 (firm).
6/10
Wine Cheese Aging Time
How long was the cheese aged? Rated on a scale from 1 to 12 months.
4/12
Additional Details on Wine Cheese from Hay Milk
Milk: | 100% from silage-free hay milk |
Cheese Type: | Lactose-free semi-hard cheese (SH) |
Aging Type: | Lactic acid and/or fermentation aging / surface aging in a cheese cellar with salt care + wine treatment |
Flavor Profile: | Mild, smooth, soft-melting |
Aging Duration: | 3 months |
FDM: | minimum 45% |
Fat Content: | approx. 22.5% |
Allergens: | Apart from milk components, no other allergenic potential |
Lactose: | Not present |
Rennet: | Natural, animal rennet |
Salt: | Iodine-free table salt |
What defines the cheese – the wine cheese character? | Particularly soft cheese with a soft-melting cheese texture |
What does the wine cheese taste like? | Full-bodied, soft-melting cheese-wine aroma |
How does it feel in texture? | Semi-firm cheese with soft-melting cheese texture |
What is the color of the wine cheese? | Whitish to yellowish dough, highly seasonal |
What does the cheese dough smell like? | Pleasant cheese scent combined with fine wine nuances |
What does the hole pattern look like? | Occasional cherry-sized holes |
How is wine cheese best enjoyed? | On sandwiches, for breakfast, or simply sliced for dinner. |
What indicates improper aging – lower quality? | The cheese should be semi-firm but not sticky. |
If you plan to store large pieces or a whole cheese wheel for more than 2-3 weeks, we recommend using a tea towel.
Take a clean tea towel, soak it in saltwater (just add a bit of salt), wring it out, and wrap the cheese in the damp towel. This process should ideally be repeated every 2-3 days.
If the cheese develops a slight white coating or spots, it is usually salt or protein crystallized due to temperature differences. Simply wipe these spots away.
The use of aluminum foil is possible (though not recommended) if supplemented with many small holes for airflow.
No Contact with Bread - Yeast Fungi
Do not store or cut cheese on boards, wood, or surfaces previously used for bread. The yeast residues in bread cause the cheese to mold quickly.
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