Cabrales

A farmer’s cheese from the Asturias region of northern Spain, Cabrales contains raw milk from cows, goats, and sheep. The farmers who make it blend the milks according to availability and taste, but the result is a pungent, crumbly blue cheese with an unbelievably robust flavor.

If you like big, bold blues, this is it. Moist and pock-marked with deep holes and rich purple veins, Cabrales tastes like a rustic, more intense version of Roquefort.

Like its more famous French cousin, Cabrales is aged in natural caves. As you might expect, those limestone caves are cool and humid, which is the perfect place for cheese. The humidity in the air causes mold spores to form, yielding the veins and pockmarks in the cheese.

PAIRINGS: Serve it alone, or paired with big red wines, big red meats, or dense bread. Wines from nearby regions, such as Priorat or Rioja, make excellent accompaniments.