Cheese with priorat wines

[dharding]

Doing a Priorat tasting in June and will serve cheese. Looking for advice on Spanish cheese. Have tried a Mahon and an Idiazabal. Don't want to go pedestrian with a Manchego. Any thoughts?

[froggio]

Cheese and Priorat?
These wines are red, hot 'n' heavy so pairing them with cheese is a bit like pairing Dick Cheney and Gwyneth Paltrow. Why not try more approprieately cold cuts?

[brandygirl]

Sorry I can't help with cheese suggestions. But I hope you'll post after your tasting and let us know about the wines!

[missado]

I completely agree with the other posters about Zamorano (harder, nuttier, and richer cousin of Manchego) and would pair it with a Spanish equivalent of a Zin. Valdeon is a creamy Spanish blue.. salty but not as overpowering as Cabrales.

Monte enebro is a phenomenal cheese-- think goat rolled in ash with a tangy, salty finish. However I have had a very hard time pairing this cheese. At my most recent wine and cheese party, I paired it with Moscatel Reymos and was a bit disappointed. If you find a pairing that works, please share!!

Malvarosa is a milder, buttery cheese that has indentations from its original cheese cloth.

Cana de cabra is a soft goats milk that is fresh in the middle and melty on the outside with citrus notes.

Other Spanish cheeses that I haven't tried yet but you might want to check out are La Peral (lighter blue), Queso de aracena, and Iberico.

I know it is popular, but I am actually not impressed with Garroxta. By the way, Idiazabal is similar in texture to Zamorano but has a slightly richer flavor so I would recommend pairing it with a really big red.

[Lenox637]

You must hunt down some Monte Enebro, a slightly aged goat's milk cheese dusted with ash, and although it comes from the Pyrenees I would serve a raw milk Ossau Iraty.

[vinosnob]

Zamarano and Garrotxa are delicious.

I love Nevat as well, but I don't think it would mesh well priorat reds.

Other options:

- Roncal
- Aged Mahon
- Torta del Casar

[whiner]

Hard to call a good Manchego pedestrian.

Not Spanish, but the harder more flavorful Northern Italian cheeses are good here. A good Peccorino, Parmesan, Piave, a *true* Asiago...

[dharding]

Got to stay Spanish with this tasting. Again, I apologise for my initial post. I am looking for something people may not have seen/tasted. Most people who will attend are quite familiar with Manchego. It is available broadly...pedestrian , so to speak. In availability, not eatability.

[cleveland park]

I would also go for Garrotxa, another goat cheese from Catalunya

[vino5150]

Try Zamarano...similar to a manchego, but with a sharpness. Nevat is an awsome cheese, but if you would have to get it that day because it does not last too long after...just from experience.....Cabrales can be too strong for some people so try Valdeon blue....Patta de Mullo (mule's leg) is another great sheep's milk cheese comparable to any Tuscon pecorino. Mont e nebro....list goes on an on...

[cleveland park]

Valdeon is awesome

[cleveland park]

If the Manchego is aged for over a year it will not be pedestrian

[dharding]

bad terminology...It's just that everyone likes manchego, especially aged stuff, and it's served so often as a "Spanish" cheese that I'd like to go elsewhere...

[cleveland park]

I guess I would go for a Catalan cheese, like Nevat (goat cheese, which is awesome).