Picked up some luscious cheese p*rn yesterday in the form of the inaugural issue of “culture: the word on cheese.” And, I swear, I read it for the articles! It’s a glossy, slickly designed quarterly full of big color closeups of cheeses in intimate moments, split open and ready to be ravaged, but (and I’ll stop now, thanks) there’s a lot of good info in between the tantalizing photo layouts. 

In addition to the now-obligatory article on Wisconsin’s artisanal cheesemaking stars (hi Willi!, hi Mike!) there’s a detailed breakdown of blues, profiles of old-world cheesemakers in Italy and Ireland, a funny little piece on the adhesive properties of casein, and a bunch of tips on buying, storing, serving, and pairing cheeses for the holidays. But the spotlight-hog has to be the “centerfold” on Jasper Hill Farms‘ Winnimere cheese.*

Which . . . oh my sweet cheese Jesus does it look good. A creamy, oozy, gooey washed-rind raw-milk cheese described as similar to a French Mont d’Or or a Swiss Vacherin, it’s made in Vermont from the winter milk of Ayshire cows–winter milk because the fat content is 20 percent higher then–wrapped in spruce bark, washed twice a week with a brine of homebrewed lambic and salt, and aged 60 days. The cheese and the beer create an endless loop of fermentation beauty, with the microbes from the cellar fermenting the brew and the sugars in the beer drawing all sorts of molds and yeasts into the heart of the cheese.

I’ll just quote from the article here, as I tragically have yet to try this myself.

“A ripe Winnimere glistens on the surface, its crusty rind the color of creme caramel. Brought to room temperature on a kitchen counter, it exudes aromas that the room can’t contain–a yeasty, woodsy, fruity fragrance that suggests porcini mushrooms, bacon, and ripe tropical fruit.”

Moan.

I don’t *think* it’s available right now (winter milk, etc.), and it is reportedly hard to find even in season,  but if it is to be had anywhere near, anytime soon, I’m going to track it down.

* Photo pinched, with thanks, from Gary Wiviott.