Unique cheese triumph side by cider

TWO Tassie family businesses have joined forces to launch the only cheese of its type in the country.

FROM a chance meeting two generational Tasmanian family businesses have joined forces to launch the only cheese of its type in the country.

Grandvewe Cheese has produced a new washed rind sheep milk semi soft cheese using Willie Smith’s Huon Valley organic cider for the wash.

Cheese maker Nicole Gilliver said washing the rind with cider will mean a completely different set of unknown wild yeasts.

“Those yeasts are unique to Willie Smith’s delivering a unique set of flavours to our sheep milk cheese,” Ms Gilliver said.

“No one will be able to replicate this style because the yeasts are unique to Willie’s, so too is their relationship with our cheese. It’s completely different.”

The cheese will be launched at Grandvewe Cheese’s stall at the Huon Valley Mid-Winter Festival, which starts on Friday night and runs until Sunday.

Willie Smith’s head cider maker Tim Jones said it was another example of innovative Tasmanian businesses working together for the good of the state and its foodie reputation.

“It’s a privilege to work closely with such a high quality, innovative Tasmanian cheesemaker to produce this Wild Willy washed rind cheese,” Dr Jones said.

“We are really excited about the merging of our unique wild microflora with artisan cheese.”

Grandvewe creates the only domestically produced sheep milk washed rind cheese made using a traditional plant thistle rennet from the artichoke thistle (Cardoon plant).

Cardoon imparts bitterness which balances the richness in the paste of soft sheep milk cheese and is typical in Spain and Portugal. The recipe took seven years to develop properly with pasteurised milk.

Find more food production and rural stories in Tasmanian Country out every Friday.