Dairy & Eggs: 'Villajos' Artisan Semi-Cured Manchego by La Tienda

'Villajos' Artisan Semi-Cured Manchego by La Tienda Reviews

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'Villajos' Artisan Semi-Cured Manchego by La Tienda Feature

Perishable - Requires expedited shipping
2.2 lbs of premium sheep's milk cheese
Aged 6 months, semi-aged sharp cheese
Award-winning semi-cured Manchego

Arguably the best Manchego sheep's milk cheese in Spain. It is churned by hand and then set aside to age for about 6 months. Villajo manchego has a nice sharpness and has a decent firmness due to its substantial aging. This farm made cheese has a deep, rich flavor that an industrial cheese cannot approximate. Just as there are hundreds of "cheddar" cheeses on the market, so there are dozens of commercial Manchego cheeses which do not measure up. The cheese is made with raw milk from the venerable Manchega breed of sheep, which are tended by shepherds in the hills surrounding the village. The fresh milk from the ewes is collected in milking pails and immediately refrigerated, so as to preserve its natural aroma and taste. Traditionally, Manchego is cut in wedges and served with olives and thin slices of Serrano ham or membrillo quince preserves. A richly fruity tempranillo wine makes a good accompaniment. Although the process of producing raw milk cheese is more complicated, Beni, the master cheese maker at Villajos, knows that this extra effort will be amply rewarded. The result will be a cheese with an unparalleled taste, full of subtle tones -- far superior to that of the industrial cheeses that are made with pasteurized milk. The family has been fashioning this exquisite Manchego for ten years. Despite its somewhat recent arrival in the cheese marketplace, the beautifully crafted Villajos "semi-curado" earned the Gran Selección Silver Medal for Manchego in 2005. Amazingly, Villajos cheeses have been awarded four Gran Selección prizes in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006. The Gran Selección is an annual agricultural food competition held by the regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha - where the company is based. The entire production process is supervised by the Council of the Denomination of Origin of Manchego Cheese.