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.

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

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.