Saturday, January 8, 2011

Ubriaco Capra: a great cheese to pair with red wine


I'm always on the lookout for cheeses to match red wine (which clashes with so many cheeses, especially washed rind and blues) but had forgotten about Ubriaco an Italian cheese matured with the skins, pips and seeds left over from red wine making.

As a result it has a savoury, vinous taste of its own which seems to chime in perfectly with red wine, especially if you eat the rind - as you're encouraged to.

The only downside is that it's not cheap. This version which I bought from Selfridges Food Hall cost £38.50 per kilo. According to a quick search on Google it comes from the Veneto, is made of goats milk and is matured in the skins of Traminer grapes. I think it would be great with a good Valpolicella or any medium-bodied Italian red come to that. It was certainly fine with a Côte du Rhône Villages.

I seem to remember buying a slightly cheaper version in Waitrose a while ago which may still have it in their larger branches.

5 comments:

S said...

i love this cheese w a Primitivo. it's quite dear in Rome, too. x shayma

Fiona Beckett said...

I'm sure that would go really well Shayma. I generally find southern Italian reds quite cheese friendly, don't you?

sky blue binoculars said...

Has anyone ever tried human cheese? Not joking. I keep hearing about it, and it's peaked my curiosity.

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/01/would-you-eat-human-cheese/

Fiona Beckett said...

You're right. There has been a lot about it lately. I'd be prepared to try it but not sure I'd like it. Human breast milk is very sweet.

Hanna @ Swedish Meatball said...

Sounds lovely - I often have an Italian cow's milk with Barolo grapes (called Testun al Barolo, from Piemont) and I love it - but never seen a goat's one!