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Raspberry BellaVitano

Producer
Sartori
Country
United States
Region
Wisconsin
Size
13 in diameter x 4 in height
Weight
20 lbs
Website
www.sartoricheese.com
Milk
Cow
Classification
Firm
Rennet
Microbial
Rind
Natural

 

Established in 1939 by Paolo Sartori, Sartori Cheese Company is a fourth generation family owned business based in Plymouth, Wisconsin.

Well known for hard and Italian-style cheeses, the company sources milk from local, family owned farms within a close radius to their production facility. The herd size at each farm averages 75 cows and many of the farms have worked with Sartori for multiple generations. The company also operates an incentive program that encourages each farm to produce the best quality milk possible.

For production of Sartori’s cheeses, the milk is heated, cultures and rennet are added and, once the milk has coagulated, the curd is cut, releasing the whey, which is drained off.

The remaining curd is hand-salted and transferred into hoops, then pressed for several hours.  Newly formed wheels of cheese are placed in a warm “overnight” room to encourage the expulsion of more whey.  

Wheels are then trimmed by hand and placed in a brine bath, which encourages the formation of a rind.  After the brine bath, the cheese is moved to a curing room for further maturation.

Each variety of cheese is matured for a different length of time.  Every batch is tasted at regular intervals during this period and, when they are deemed ready, released for sale.

For the production of some of Sartori’s cheeses, carefully selected wheels of BellaVitano Gold are chosen to undergo a third stage of finishing.

This last stage involves the application by hand or soaking of a proprietary blend of one of a variety of coatings—in this case, a raspberry tart ale. 

Tasting Notes

The raspberry tart ale flavor contributes a fresh and fruity aroma, with background notes of pineapple. But the flavor doesn’t permeate throughout the wheel; rather, it helps to balance the saltiness of the cheese. It strikes out into raspberry territory without letting the fruit overpower the palate.

Pairings

Pair Reserve Raspberry BellaVitano with a light Italian red, a Sherry or a Riesling. For beer pairings, try a Porter, a Belgian Sour, a Brown Ale, or a Framboise Lambic. It also pairs quite well with chocolate!

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