Manchego Reserve (Extra Aged) - Whole Wheel (7 lb)

Our delicious selection of Spanish cheeses invites you to embark on a culinary journey across Spain. Cheese is an integral part of daily life in Spain, with each region boasting its own unique cheese traditions. From cow's milk to goat's milk and sheep's milk, the options are plentiful, and the aromas and flavors are truly endless. Spanish cheese is much more than just the renowned Manchego.

In this category, we've also included some Dutch, Swiss, and Italian cheeses. Parmigiano, Gruyere, Gouda – discover why we get along so well with our European cheese friends.

Without a doubt, Manchego, the sheep's milk cheese, is the most popular in Spain. Originating from the La Mancha region, the land of Don Quixote, this cheese is made from the milk of indigenous Manchega sheep. The young, mild Manchego is aged for 3 months, resulting in a flavorful and creamy cheese that pairs beautifully with grapes, quince jelly, or nuts. In fact, it is quite common in Spain to serve Manchego as a dessert, typically sliced into triangular wafers. To ensure longer preservation, remember to keep Manchego refrigerated and wrapped in plastic film or covered with a cloth soaked in olive oil, as is the traditional method.

Manchego is a DO (Denominación de Origen) cheese, meaning its name is legally controlled and can only be used for cheese made from the milk of Manchega sheep. These sheep graze in the provinces of Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, and Toledo, which make up the La Mancha region. The best Manchego is produced when the milk is at its richest, typically between August and December. The distinctive pattern on the rind honors the traditional practice of wrapping the cheese in woven sheets of esparto grass.

Mahon is another name-controlled cheese, a DO cow's milk cheese from the Balearic island of Menorca. Pale yellow in color with numerous small eyes and rounded edges, this four-month-aged cheese has a characteristic orange rind. Creamy with a nutty finish, Mahon cheese is versatile and can be used as a delightful sandwich cheese or in more sophisticated culinary preparations. Its history dates back to Roman times, and the milk used is thermalized, not pasteurized or raw. The presence of cows on the small island of Menorca is a curious fact, as the producer once explained that the cows had actually swum there! Mahon is very popular in Spain and the UK, and it pairs wonderfully with a cold beer. As it ages, Mahon develops a sharper, tangier intensity, easily competing with the most renowned Gruyere or Gouda. For wine pairings, Spanish fruity reds like Rioja or Ribera del Duero complement the aged Mahon beautifully.

V Navarra is a Latxa sheep's milk cheese, in the Idiazabal style, with the same intense smoked flavor. Both of these cheeses are always produced solely with raw milk in the northern regions of Spain: the Basque Country and Navarra. The lush vegetation of the mountains in these areas provides the sheep with high-quality pastures. Traditionally, shepherds take their flocks to the higher pastures during the summer months, where the cheese is made. This "summer cheese" is then stored in the shepherds' mountain huts, where the smoky flavor is imparted from the fireplaces. Towards the end of September and early October, when the snow begins to arrive, the shepherds and their flocks return to the lower valleys, and the cheese is sold. As the demand for Idiazabal has grown, cheesemakers now recreate the traditional techniques, allowing the cheese to mature for at least 1 month before smoking it with either hawthorn or cherry wood, which gives Etxegarai and Idiazabal cheeses their distinctive piquant and nutty flavor.

Please note that any cheese that is temporarily out of stock will be substituted with a similar brand of equal value.

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