Description
For five generations, the Cravero family has been hand-selecting young wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano from the finest farms of Emilia-Romagna, and transporting them to their maturation caves in Bra, a mountain village in central Piedmont.
Every two years, while attending the bi-annual cheese festival known simply as "Cheese" we pay a visit to Giorgio and his aging rooms. We taste through several batches of his cheese, and we select the batches we would like to import. After years of working together, we have found two producers in particular that are most consistently on target with our palate preferences: Baruffi and San Pietro. The wheels we bring in vary a bit in age, but are generally between 24 and 28 months old.
San Pietro is located in the town of Benedello di Pavullo, where Massimo and Laura Libra produce six wheels of cheese per day. They work with five local farms, all of whom feed their animals exclusively on local grass and hay.
Each cheese is aged in their own facility for a year before being transferred to the aging halls of the Cravero family. Flavor profiles vary from year to year and from age to age, but in general, we find this cheese has less fruitiness than Baruffi, and instead offers a deeper, nuttier, beefier flavor.
More Information
- Country of Origin
- Italy
- Region
- Emilia-Romagna
- Type of Milk
- Cow
G.Cravero
Caring for Your Cheese
How much cheese should I buy?
We advise buying small quantities more frequently to avoid long term storage because the complex flavors and aromas of good cheese will change and degrade over time. For appetizer quantities and not much left over, we suggest 1/4 lb per person. For larger servings or if you'd like some left overs, we suggest a full 1/2 lb per person.
How should I serve my cheese?
You can serve any number of cheeses: a single magnificent chèvre or a large selection celebrating the diversity of aromas, flavors and textures found in various traditions around the world. Choose what you like and what you expect your audience will enjoy. We usually go for a selection of three to four cheeses with various milk types, textures and flavors.
Take your cheese out of the refrigerator an hour or so before serving. Just before serving, unwrap each cheese and scrape the cut surface with a knife edge to remove a thin layer. If you notice dried out parts or mold on the face of the cheese, cut it away.
Can I eat the rind?
Most cheeses have rinds and most rinds are edible. If you don’t like the taste or texture, cut it off.
What do I do about the mold on my cheese?
Cheese stored for some time may grow exterior molds. Typical molds will be white or blue-green but you can sometimes come across yellow or gray. Most of the time, you can refresh the cheese by cutting away those affected areas. The cheese underneath will be fine.
How do I store my cheese?
Store in a higher humidity area of your refrigerator - likely an enclosed spot which allows for limited airflow rather than constant drafts.
How do I wrap my cheese?
Use a clean wrap of the cheese paper, or, in a pinch use parchment (for softer cheeses) or aluminum foil (for firm to hard cheeses).
Enjoy!
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