This award-winning semi-soft, washed rind cheese is born of time-honoured Trappist monk cheese-making techniques. Twice every week for five months, each cheese is washed in brine, turned, and returned to its place in the aging room. The room is kept at precisely 91 percent relative humidity and 52 degrees Fahrenheit – mimicking as closely as possible, a traditional French aging cellar. Taking First Place at the 2020 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in the Semi-Soft cheese category, Niagara Gold is crafted from pure A2 Guernsey milk, making it rich, creamy, and easier on the tummy than regular cow’s milk.
Cloaked in its golden, edible rind, this cheese is nutty and earthy, with a slight tang and creamy sweetness. As it ages, watch for it to develop a slight piquancy. Its open, lacy interior melts beautifully; if the best mozzarella and the finest gouda, met, fell in love, and made a baby, it would be Niagara Gold. Warming brings out its subtle saltiness.
This cheese pairs perfectly with oaked or partially oaked Chardonnay and a white blend like Hidden Bench Nuit Blanche or Stratus White. Beer fans will find a local lager or an ESB a perfect match too. On a cheeseboard, pair Niagara Gold with sweet-tart flavours: cranberry compote, fig jam, honey mustard; candied walnuts.