Slow Cheese 2011 - Day 1

Since we weren't able to get into any of the classes today, we've decided to spend our time at the Gran Sala dei Formaggi ed Enoteca (Great Hall of Cheese and Enoteca). We learnt from our previous visit to Slow Cheese that leaving this for the last day meant that most of the interesting wines and cheeses weren't available.

Entrance to the Great Hall costs €8 and you get a wine glass and glass holder as well as one cheese tasting voucher and one wine tasting voucher and if you are a Slow Food member it's €4.

Grand Hall of Cheese housed under the porticos in Corso Garibaldi

There are 805 wines available to taste - mostly Italian but a good number of French as France was the theme for this years festival. There are also 184 cheeses available for tasting.







The tastings aren't free but they are very reasonably priced - though the ticketing system can be a little confusing, well, it is Italy. Wines are from 2 to 5 "buoni" a glass while the cheese is all 1 "buoni". You buy the tickets in set amounts and 1 buoni costs 1 euro.

There is amble seating with lots of tables and chairs and generous servings of constantly replenished grissini and bread.



As we're in Piemonte we'll be focusing on the local wines and cheeses, with a few exceptions.


(699) Brachetto d'Acqui Pian delle Canne 2010, Alice Bel Colle
middle sweetness, crisp and refreshing
(700) Brachetto d'Acqui Spumante Rosso DOCG, Cossetti
slightly bitter with cheese but settles down, raspberry tartness


(28) Bra Duro Stravecchio (DOP)
Producer: Caselifico Spertino
Production Area: the whole province of Cuneo and the territory of the commune of Villafranca (To)
Milk Type: Cow with possibly small additions of sheep and goat milk
Type: Consistent, yellow dark ochre colour with diffuse tiny holes
Ageing: over 12 months
Aged-Selected by: Giolito Formaggi, Bra (Cn)


(37) Verzin Blu di Capra
Producer: Beppino Ocelli
Production Area: Farigliano (Cn )
Milk Type: Goat
Type: Veined, soft and buttery
Ageing: 60 days
Aged-Selected by: Giolito Formaggi, Bra (Cn)



(30) Cevrin di Coazze  (Presidi Slow Food Italy)
Producer: Lussiana Ugo e Az. Agriocola Lussina Fratelli
Prodcution Area: Val Sangone, Province of Torino
Milk Type: Raw, mixed goat and cow
Type: Slightly grainy, yellow on the outside going to white on the inside
Ageing: minimum 60 days

(34) Robiola di Roccaverano (DOP)  (Presidi Slow Food Italy)
Producer: Casagross, Agrilanga e Simone Stutz
Prodcution Area: Langa Astigiana, Province of Asti
Milk Type: Raw Goat from Camosciata Breed
Type: fresh, tender, firm and white
Ageing: 2-3 weeks, minimum 6 days



(17) - Alta Langa Brut Rose Contessa Rosa 2007, Fontanafredda
perfect as an aperitif, light acid, slight bitterness
(18) - Alta Langa Metodo Classico 2005, San Silvestro
crisp, acidic and bubbly almost too bubbly



(35) Saras del Fen (Presidi Slow Food Italy)
Producer: Pier Claudio Michelin Salomon
Production Area: Mountain community of Val Pellice, Chisone and Germanasca, Pinerolese Pedemontano, over 1000 metres in altitude, in Province of Torino
Milk: Whey from raw cow, goat and sheep
Type: Fine, lumpy when the cheese is fresh; compact, translucent, of white, brown and yellow colouring if matured
Ageing: up to four months

(33) Montébore (Presidi Slow Food Italy)
Producer: Coop. Vallenostra
Production area: Valli Curone e Borbera, Province of Alessandria
Milk: Raw, cow and sheep
Type: Smooth or slightly holed, in various shades of white
Ageing: around 2 months

(32) Macagn (d'Alpeggio) (Presidi Slow Food Italy)
Producer: Coop. Produttori del tradizionale formaggio Macagn
Production Area: Prealpi Biellesi and Valsesia, Province of Biella e Vercelli
Milk Type: Raw cow
Type: Compact, varying colour from straw yellow to gold depending on maturity
Ageing: minimum 20 days



(132) Langhe Bianco Matteo Correggia 2007, Matteo Correggia
(176) Roero Arneis Gianat 2008, Negro


(27) Bra Duro DOP
Producer: Caseifico Ceirano Antonio
Production Area: all the province of Cuneo and the territory of the commune of Villafranca Piemonte (To)
Milk: Cow (with possible small additions of sheep/goat milk)
Type: Consistent, ochre colouring
Ageing: minimum 6 months
Aged-Selected by: Giolito Formaggi, Bra (Cn)

(29) Castelmagno d'Alpeggio (Presidi Slow Food Italy)
Producer: La Meiro - Terre de Castelmagno
Production Area: Frazione Chiappi of the Commune of Castelmagno (Cn)
Milk: raw cow with minimum addition of goat/sheep milk (from 5 to 20%)
Type: Ivory colour and soft; after maturation, more compact and more darkly coloured, sometimes greenish-blue hue due to the development of penicillin mould
Ageing: at least 4 months



(296) Cesanese 2007, L'Olivella
(439) Barolo Monvigliero 1999, Bel Colle


(31) Gorgonzola Piccante (DOP)
Producer: Caseificio Nuova Castelli
Production Area: in Piemonte, the Province of Novara, Vercelli, Cuneo and the commune of Casale Monferrato; in Lombardy, the Province of Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Milano and Pavia
Milk: cow
Type: Veined, tight, white or pale yellow, streaked with green-blue
Ageing: for 90 to 110 days
Aged-Selected by: Giolito Formaggi, Bra (Cn)

(36) Tuma di Pecora delle Langhe (Presidi Slow Food Italy)
Producer: Mario Gala, Anna Maria Trombetta and Marco Ferrero
Production Area: Alta Langa, Province of Cuneo
Milk: raw sheep from breed "Sheep of the Langhe"
Type: soft; colour white or pale yellow
Ageing: minimum 1 week

(46) Puzzone di Moena (Trentino) (Presidi Slow Food Italy)
Producer: Giampaolo Gaiarin
Production Area: Commune of Predazzo and Moena, Trentino
Milk: raw cow
Type: soft, cooked, pressed
Ageing: minimum 12 months