• About
  • Contact Me

Little Green Cheese

Cheese making at home with Gavin Webber the Cheeseman

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Cheese eBook
  • Podcast
  • Videos
  • Cheese Making Kits
  • Courses
  • Support Me!
  • Live!
You are here: Home / Recipes / Drunken Cow Cheese

Drunken Cow Cheese

08/08/2012 By Gavin Webber 9 Comments

A cheese soaked in wine.  What a novel idea?
I believe that it was first tried in Spain.  The soft goats cheese that was traditional was prone to going mouldy, and they wanted a way to prevent the mould from spoiling the cheese and to be able to keep it longer before eating it.  Wine was the perfect solution, because by soaking the cheese in this weak acidic and alcoholic drink prevented mould from taking hold on the rind.  That’s the history behind it anyway.  The process was soon used in Italy where they predominantly used cow’s milk and called it Formaggio Ubriaco (Drunken Cheese).

This is my first attempt at this cheese so I will not be posting the recipe until I know how it turns out.  You will have to wait three months until it matures for the taste test post.  It is only the second type of washed curd cheese I have made other than Gouda.

The recipe I used was from Tim Smith’s Making Artisan Cheese, and was Cabra al Vino (which is Spanish for Goats Wine), except I have used cow’s milk, changed the recipe somewhat, and the type of wine.  Essentially I created Drunken Cow Cheese!

I opted for a sweet red instead of the normal dry red used for this cheese.  I used a Crimson Cabernet by Banrock Station, which is a light fruity red, hoping that it will impart a certain sweetness to the cheese.

drunken cow cheese - wine bath

The cheese soaks in the wine for 24 hours initially, then a 6 hour air drying, then another 24 hours in the wine bath.

drunken cow cheese

When it is removed, and dried for another 24 hours, it looks like this.  It has a lovely purple colour.

It was not suggested in the recipe, but I pieced the cheese about 14 times as I would with a blue, to let some of the wine infuse into the core of the round.  I am hoping for a marbling effect, but time will tell.

It is being stored at 12°C @ 80% humidity, for three months.  I have to turn it daily for the first two weeks, and if mould forms (which I am hoping it won’t), I have to wipe it with a brine solution.  I have found from experience that my wine fridge does not stay humid enough, so I may end up waxing it at the four week mark to ensure that it keeps moist.

Fingers crossed it will be a very nice cheese.  It smells delicious already, but I have always been partial to a nice drop of red wine!

Has anyone tasted this type of cheese before?  I have to admit that I have not, so it is a big experiment for me.

Will this article help someone you know? If so help them out by sharing now!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Drunken Cow

← Mozzarella Workshop #6 Drunken Cow Update →

About Gavin Webber

Gavin Webber is passionate about home cheese making. He loves to make cheese in his spare time and shares the techniques, videos, podcasts, and recipes with his fellow curd nerds!

Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    22/09/2012 at 08:46

    Hi Gavin.
    I made a French farm cheese last year, which I put in red grape skins, after that was made ​​wine from them. The cheeses were in the wine shells in 2 months. It did not go well, the shells got moldy and the cheese was almost dissolved inside the shells.
    It was my first attempt and I was sorry it went so bad, so I have not tried it again, but might feel like it's pretty exciting with the combination of wine-and cheese.
    Excuse my english, I'm from Denmark.
    I have a great passion for making cheese. I hold courses in the manufacture of cheese and Danes love to learn how to make your own cheese.
    Regards to all cheesemakers on this lovely blog… Aase

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    04/09/2012 at 11:00

    I have tasted a similar cheese in Ireland, and absolutely loved it, From what i could work out the curds were be soaked in wine before being pressed,the cheese was beautifully marbled, i tried soaking some curds in a good irish whisky, turned out to be a beautiful cheese. Leah

    Reply
  3. Sallyspatch says

    16/08/2012 at 03:14

    Oh wow, it looks fantastic. I can't wait to see the end result.

    Reply
    • Cheeseadmin says

      16/08/2012 at 12:24

      I too am excited. Still turning it every day so far for the first two weeks.

      Gav

      Reply
  4. Kate says

    15/08/2012 at 03:40

    Hi Gavin,
    Thanks for a great blog. I recently did a course on camembert and although we were asked to bring our own un-homogenised milk we were lucky enough to be supplied with real milk from a local dairy. I had an absolute ball at the course and came home not only with a camembert but ricotta, mascarpone and quark (quarg) too. I was interested to read that you use homogenised milk with the addition of calcium chloride in your cheesemaking. Is there a set ratio of calcium chloride to milk that you use? And do you recommend a milk with a certain butterfat percentage? As much as I would like to use milk from a dairy it would be a lot more convenient just to grab it from the supermarket.
    Cheers Kate

    Reply
    • Cheeseadmin says

      16/08/2012 at 12:23

      Hi Kate,

      I use half a teaspoon of CaCl per 8 litres of homogenised milk. The richer the milk the better. If you can get milk with a butter fat over 3.8%, then you will get a great cheese.

      Gav

      Reply
    • Kate says

      16/08/2012 at 23:14

      Thanks Gav. Shall have a go with my triple cream brie that I have been waiting to try.

      Reply
  5. Simona says

    08/08/2012 at 19:03

    I have made this cheese using Debra Amrein-Boyes' recipe. I really like it. I have not made it with 100% goat milk (a bit too expensive), but I have made it using up to 50% goat milk. We like this cheese a lot. The best performer in terms of wine (of course, among those I have used) was Protocolo Red. My favorite was the one where I used 50% goat milk, but my husband preferred a less goat-y version (25% goat). Good luck!

    Reply
    • Cheeseadmin says

      09/08/2012 at 05:27

      Thanks for sharing Simon. Sounds like a nice variant.

      Gav

      Reply

Leave a comment for the Cheese Maker! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow Us via Social

FacebooktwitterpinterestrssyoutubeinstagramFacebooktwitterpinterestrssyoutubeinstagram

Cheese Making Kits

Cheeseman.tv Merchandise

Cheeseman.tv Merchandise
Cool Cheesy T-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, stickers, and more
0:00
54:12
  • LGC097 - Interview with Tutu Saad Artisan Cheesemaker Bangladesh
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

Archives

Tags

Aging Blue Brine Caerphilly Camembert Cheese Cave Cheese Press Colby Cream Cheese Curd Cutter Curds Drunken Cow eBook Emmentaler Equipment Farmhouse Cheddar Feta Gavin Halloumi Jarlsberg Kits Monterey Jack Mould Ripened Cheese Moulds Mozzarella Parmesan Parmigiano Reggiano Podcast Queso Fresco Raw Milk Rennet Ricotta Romano Romano Pepato Salt Sanitisation Starter Cultures Stilton Storage Technique Tzafatit Video Tutorial Waxing Whey Ricotta Workshops

Subscribe to Cheese Podcast

Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSS

Subscribe to Cheeseman.TV

Podcast Reviews

  • Love it. Keep it up!
    February 12, 2022 by Corknip from Denmark

    Excellent podcast. Started the home making adventure last month and have been catching up on all the past episodes and YouTube videos. it is a gold mine of shared knowledge. Thank you!

  • So funny!!!!
    June 15, 2020 by purple quaqamale from United States

    Little green cheese is so funny

  • Great podcasts
    June 14, 2020 by Chrissy Curd Nurd from Australia

    I’ve just started cheese making at home,Gavin ‘s podcasts are so informative. I also watch his you tube tutorials. Thanks for your great work!!

  • An excellent guide to artisan cheese!
    January 14, 2020 by N.K.13 from Australia

    I recently became aware of Gavin’s lovely YouTube channel and podcast and it’s been incredible. His competence and comprehensive explanations leave you craving more. Much like a good cheese! Cheers Gavin!

  • Perfect for Cheesemakers of all levels!
    December 3, 2018 by Viki Leeasa from Thailand

    I love that this podcast does not just have helpful tips and tricks on cheese making, but also stories and news from the cheese world, as well as nice little anecdotes from the host. A big fan from Thailand!

  • If you think you want to make cheese, listen to this!
    November 30, 2018 by paulsaw from United States

    Gavin Webber’s Little Green Cheese is By Far the best podcast I have ever heard! A truly informative and quality production!

  • Great program
    October 9, 2018 by p37dg9q14 from United States

    Very informative and enjoyable podcast. I started at episode 1 and currently listening to 25. I’ll be giving cheesemaking a go in the next week. Mike J from Oceanside CA

  • Great podcast
    September 13, 2018 by nicole_elias from Australia

    I have a long commute to and from work and have worked my way through the back catalogue of these podcasts. Enjoyed every one of them and hope for many more to come. Thanks Gavin! Keep up the great work. Cheers, Nicole

  • Excellent!
    September 3, 2018 by emeldridge from United States

    Looking to take up cheesemaking sometime soon and this channel has provided all the information necessary to get started!

  • Great Resource!
    August 28, 2018 by olivestones from United States

    I have been learning to make cheese for the past year. Gavin's podcast and video series has been a tremendous resource for me. His love for the cheese-making craft is evident in the amount of research he will perform in order to answer a listener's cheese question. All thumbs up for the amount of time and energy he puts into his quality podcast! ...And he cracks me up with his attempts at pronunciation!

Little Green Workshops

Copyright © 2023 · Gavin Webber