Local​ terroir + European style = exceptional Northern California cheese – 7×7 Bay Area

Much like wine, terroir impacts the flavor and style of cheese. And Northern California terroir is ripe for cheese production.“The mild Mediterranean climate of Marin and Sonoma counties and steady moderate temperatures result in consistent milk production,” says Valerie Miller, director of the California Artisan Cheese Guild. “Raising dairy cows here allows milk production to continue throughout the year.” With that consitent milk production and the wide range of microclimates found within the Bay Area, dairies can produce a variety of European-style cheeses. From English cheddar to Italian mozzarella, these five cheesemakers in Marin and Sonoma churning out tastes of the Old World. Nicasio Valley Cheese Company Cows from the Nicasio herd(Courtesy of Nicasio Valley Cheese Company)At Nicasio Valley Cheese Company, California’s only producer of organic farmstead cow’s milk cheese, the cows graze on bucolic Marin pastureland for around 120 days per year. The cheese’s style, though, hails from farther afield: The patriarch of the family-run business, Fredolino LaFranchi, emigrated from Maggia, Switzerland near the Italian border in the early 20th century. The family has been ranching their land in Nicasio since 1919, and his grandchildren began making traditional Swiss-Italian and Italian alpine-style cheese in 2010. Their teacher was Maurizio…
Read More