Cheese · PDO · Santorini
Also labelled Σαν Μιχάλη
A hard, pressed cow's milk cheese from Syros.
San Michali is the hard cow's milk cheese of Syros, made from the pasteurised milk of cows raised on the island, pressed hard, brined and ripened for about three and a half months. The product specification describes a cylindrical cheese with a dry, hard rind of yellow-white to yellow and a hard paste from white to yellow-white. Greek Wikipedia dates the PDO to 1994 and eAmbrosia shows it registered in 1996. Syros is another Cycladic island, not Santorini, but San Michali is on the cheese plateau at Aroma Avlis in Exo Gonia.
Made in: Syros
A table cheese with a piquant taste and a characteristic aroma, per the product specification. Greek Wikipedia calls it salty and sharp, eaten on its own with bread or fruit or used in cooking.
Rind: natural crust
Wine and cheese
San Michali is a hard cow's milk cheese, salty, sharp and piquant. A full-bodied Santorini Assyrtiko, given time in oak or on its lees, has the weight to meet it, and its high acidity cuts the salt and fat.
San Michali is a hard, piquant cow's milk cheese ripened about three and a half months. A Santorini Nykteri, full-bodied with high acidity and at least three months in oak, can stand up to its salt and sharpness.
San Michali is hard, salty and sharp. An oak-aged Cycladic red from Mandilaria, Mavrotragano or Voudomato has high acidity and a tannic frame, and the cheese's salt and fat soften the grip.
A hard, piquant San Michali offers salt against the sweetness of Vinsanto, a dessert wine from sun-dried grapes whose high acidity keeps the sugar in balance and the pairing from cloying.
The grapes behind these winesAssyrtikoMavrotraganoVoudomatoMandilaria
Guided tastings by appointment in an organic cave winery in Pyrgos. The 4 and 6 wine tastings come with Naxos goat cheese and bread-rusks; the 12 wine tasting with Aegean island cheeses. Tuesday to Saturday.
A walk on the vineyard soil, then six wines from Santorini's indigenous grapes tasted with a platter of selected cheeses, cold cuts and local bites, guided by the winery's wine educator. By appointment.
Four premium Assyrtiko wines tasted under a pergola by the beach, with a complimentary plate of traditional Greek cheeses. The winery is open daily 12:00 to 20:00 from 29 April to 31 October.
On the menu at Aroma Avlis, the restaurant at Artemis Karamolegos Winery: a cheese plateau of arseniko from Naxos, Cretan graviera, geremezi, San Michali and melichloro, and a kopanisti spread.
Wine tasting on the main hall terrace of the Megalochori winery, with light snacks such as cheese platters available alongside. The cheeses are not named.
Winery restaurant in Fira Kontochori serving a la carte, a degustation menu, or a glass of Anhydrous wine with a platter of Greek cheeses.
Greek Wikipedia says it comes from a mountain in the north of the island of Syros, where the village of San Michalis stands.
Yes, only from cows raised on Syros. The product specification says the milk is pasteurised and the curd is reheated to about 50 degrees C while stirred, then pressed hard.
Greek Wikipedia says the PDO was granted in 1994; eAmbrosia lists the EU registration on 21 June 1996.
Same cheeseboard
Plan the trip
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
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Sources: protection register, ec.europa.eu, el.wikipedia.org. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.
