MAKING CHEESE
Williamson Wine & Food
HOW CHEESE IS MADE
Milk, cultures, time—and the decisions
that give every cheese its character.
Pasture to Table
CHEESE BEGINS WITH THE LAND
Wine begins in the vineyard. Cheese begins in the pasture. Neither can rise far above the quality of what comes from the land.
Breed, feed, season and farming shape the milk, just as soil, climate and farming shape the grape. From there, the cheesemaker makes a long series of choices—cultures, temperature, curd size, salt, rind and time. Small decisions accumulate. Eventually, they become flavor.
Cheese and wine share another useful truth: expertise can guide you, but pleasure remains personal. The final judgment belongs to the person at the table.
A Useful Guide
SIX CHEESE STYLES WORTH KNOWING
Cheese refuses to fit into perfectly tidy boxes. These families are a useful place to begin.
FRESH
Moist, youthful and generally rindless. These cheeses are enjoyed soon after making and are defined by freshness rather than aging.
Examples: Ricotta, mascarpone, fresh chèvre, queso blanco and fresh mozzarella.
BLOOMY RIND
Soft cheeses matured beneath a white, edible rind. They often develop from chalky and restrained to supple and mushroomy.
Examples: Brie, Camembert and many triple-cream cheeses.
WASHED RIND
Their rinds are washed during aging with brine, wine, beer or another liquid. The aroma may be bold while the interior can remain surprisingly gentle.
Examples: Taleggio, Époisses, Limburger and Raclette-style cheeses.
SEMI-SOFT
Smooth, sliceable cheeses with more moisture than their firm, aged cousins. Flavors range from mild and buttery to earthy.
Examples: Havarti, Monterey Jack, young Fontina, Muenster and young Gouda.
FIRM & AGED
Lower moisture and longer aging bring firmer texture, concentrated flavor and, sometimes, a satisfying crystalline crunch.
Examples: Cheddar, Gruyère, Comté, Gouda, Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano.
BLUE
Cultures create blue or blue-green veining and flavors that range from creamy and mellow to salty, earthy and formidable.
Examples: Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Stilton and American artisan blue cheeses.
A note about milk: Cow, goat, sheep and buffalo describe the source of the milk—not a separate cheese family. A goat’s-milk cheese, for example, may be fresh, bloomy-rind, washed-rind, firm or blue.
Milk Becomes Cheese
THE CHEESEMAKER’S DECISIONS
The broad journey is simple. The details create thousands of possible destinations.
Step One
BEGIN WITH THE MILK
Cheese may begin with cow, goat, sheep or buffalo milk. Breed, feed, season and fat composition influence flavor and texture. Depending on style, the milk may be pasteurized or used raw.
Step Two
ADD THE CULTURES
Selected cultures convert lactose into lactic acid. They help establish acidity, encourage coagulation and begin building the aromas and flavors that will develop later.
Step Three
FORM THE CURD
Acid, rennet or a combination of the two transforms liquid milk into a soft gel. That gel becomes curd—the beginning of the cheese itself.
Step Four
SEPARATE CURD AND WHEY
The curd may be cut, stirred or heated to release whey. Smaller curds generally lose more moisture; larger curds retain more. That choice helps determine the final texture.
Step Five
SHAPE AND SALT
The curd is drained and placed into molds. Some cheeses are pressed; others settle under their own weight. Salt may be mixed into the curd, rubbed onto the surface or added through brining.
Step Six
EAT FRESH OR ALLOW TO RIPEN
Some cheeses are ready almost immediately. Others mature for weeks, months or years while temperature, humidity, microbes and careful handling develop their texture, rind and flavor.
Time at Work
WHAT AGING DOES
Aging is not simply waiting. Moisture leaves, proteins and fats change, rinds develop and flavors gather depth. The cheesemaker may turn, brush, wash or inspect each wheel as it matures.
A young cheese may be milky, gentle and supple. With time it may become firmer, nuttier, earthier or more intense. Some cheeses reach their best point in weeks. Others take years. Longer is not automatically better; the right age depends on the cheese the maker intended to create.
The specialist who guides cheese through this stage practices affinage—the care and judgment required to bring a cheese to its best expression.
Back to the Table
WHY WINE AND CHEESE BELONG TOGETHER
Acidity refreshes. Cheese softens tannin. Salt brings fruit forward. Texture keeps the conversation interesting.
Fresh, delicate cheeses often favor bright white or sparkling wines. Creamy cheeses welcome acidity. Firm, aged cheeses can meet wines with greater body and structure. Salty blue cheese often becomes more harmonious beside a wine with ripe fruit or a touch of sweetness.
These are guides, not laws. The right pairing is the one that makes the cheese more interesting, the wine more expressive and the next bite inevitable.
THE PERFECT PAIRING, DELIVERED
Four artisan cheeses, selected by our culinary team to accompany Williamson wines, four times each year.
Cheese Club is available exclusively to active Williamson Wine Club members.