The soft cheeses in Italy are also called Teneroni.

What about these soft-hearted delicacies? Soft cheeses aim to conquer your palate without giving you time to think; cheeses are like cream doughnuts: you bite into them, and the softness of the cream explodes in your mouth.

“Bloomy rind” refers to the delicate white fuzz on the surface and a white and shiny paste; they have a scent reminiscent of milk and some fruity notes. Under the thin rind, you can find a soft cream with a grainy and dry heart. They have a sweetish flavor with some acidic hints and, their aroma is reminiscent of cream, white mushrooms, and a delicate flavor of white chocolate.

Washed Rind Cheeses

 

 

 

Master refiners

 

An important role is played by the master cheese refiners who, generally source the cheeses from various producers and then refine, mature, or transform them. In the case of bloomy rind cheeses, they wrap them in a variety of aromatic herbs such as mint, wild garlic, chamomile flower petals, seaweed, or with dried fruit such as apples or pears or even with beer or whisky hops. Another very intriguing solution is to stuff the cheese just like a sandwich and fill it with cream of asparagus, pistachio, chocolate, or many other delicacies.

Pairings

Soft cheeses are versatile; they pair wonderfully with fruit, berries, and white grapes.

As for the wine, it depends on the cheese; for Taleggio, you can indulge yourself by choosing a Muller Thurgau, a Picolit, a Dolcetto, or a Franciacorta.
Cheeses with a bloomy rind prefer a Beaujolais or even a Trebbiano d’Abruzzo.

Pairing wine with stuffed or refined leaves cheeses becomes more complicated: dried apples bring sweet notes that can be compensated with sparkling wine; for mint cheeses, the balsamic note should be helped by an intense wine like Nebbiolo.If you have any doubts write to me and, I will help you!

ciao

Elisa