Chicagoist's Cheese Of The Month: Winnimere

By Erika Kubick in Food on Jan 12, 2015 8:30PM

Despite the many unforgettable moments of cheese indulgence in 2014, the cheese community will long remember the past year for having lost Rush Creek Reserve. The spruce bark-wrapped beauty from Uplands Cheese went out of commercial production when its legal status was threatened by the possibility of yet another overhaul on raw milk cheese regulations. With the sexy savor of bacon and the silky texture of French onion soup, it’s obvious why Rush Creek was a favorite among American turophiles. With heavy hearts we’ve come to accept our loss, easing our grievances with all the other cheeses awaiting consumption.

Now that it is January, seasonal cheeses made with winter milk are blessing our lives. Let us welcome back one of our favorites: Winnimere, which is made in the Mont D’or style like the belated Rush Creek Reserve. This year’s batch isn’t playing around either. Her smoky funk will warm your heart despite the bitter winds of January’s tundra.

Winnimere is made and aged at the Cellars of Jasper Hill in Vermont, one of our very favorite American creameries. She’s made only during the winter months, when the beautiful copper-spotted Ayrshire cows provide rich, hay-fed raw milk. Each wheel is tenderly wrapped in strips of spruce cambium, a flexible inner layer of bark harvested directly from the woodlands surrounding the creamery. Winnimere is aged for 60 days and washed with a cultured salt brine to develop the iridescent orange rind. The cheese is soft like tempered frosting, and has a tart pungency and woodsy savor with a touch of herbaceous sweetness. As it ages, Winnimere's rind becomes potent and the paste as unctuous and savory as a cheeseburger right off the griddle.

To enjoy Winnimere at her very best, purchase a whole wheel (approx. 1.25 lbs), peel back the rind, and spoon the rich paste onto a chunk of hearty bread or slice of apple alongside some smoky charcuterie. We also like Winnimere topped with pickled mustard seeds. Eating a whole wheel at once is a ceremonious affair, so surround yourself with caseophilic friends and keep a glass of rich red wine or toasty porter in hand. There is no better way to welcome this new year, sure to bring us experiences with old cheese favorites, and those not yet savored.

Winnimere is available at many specialty foods stores like Whole Foods Market, Marion Street Market, Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine, Potash Markets, Olivia's and Mariano’s.