Mlekarna Planika
Dairy in Kobarid, in the upper Soča valley, making Tolminc and whey cheese, with a shop, a café and a cheese museum. It lies north of Brda, a day trip up the valley.
About Tolminc
A hard, full-fat cow's milk cheese of the upper Soča valley, made in the municipalities of Kobarid, Tolmin and Bovec from raw milk or milk thermised at 57 to 68 °C, at least four fifths of it from brown cows. Wheels are 23 to 27 cm across, 8 to 9 cm high and 3.5 to 5 kg; they are pressed, brined for one to two days and matured for at least 60 days. Records from the 13th century mention it as payment of taxes to the lord of the land, and the name Formaggio di Tolmino appears on a 1756 cheese price list in Udine. Slovenia protected the name nationally in 2003, and the EU registered it as a PDO in 2012.
Made in: Zgornje Posočje, the upper Soča valley: the municipalities of Kobarid, Tolmin and Bovec
On the plate
The specification calls the taste sweet and piquant and the smell distinctive and free from foreign odours. Planika, the Kobarid dairy, says that after at least two months on wooden shelves the taste grows ever more intense, rich and aromatic. Slovenian Wikipedia adds that it slices well, is traditionally used in frika and, well aged, in sauces.
Rind: natural crust
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Tolminc
Skin-contact (orange) Rebula and Rebula-led blends Brda
Our pickRebula and Rebula-led blends left on their skins gain tannin and a dry, grippy, savoury texture that an aged Tolminc, sweet and piquant, can lean on, while the wine's acidity cuts the fat of the firm paste.
Full-bodied Rebula Brda
Our pickFresh acidity in a full-bodied Rebula cuts the fat of a firm wheel, and the wine's weight stands up to a paste that grows more intense with age. Best with a Tolminc aged well beyond the 60-day minimum.
Traditional-method sparkling Brda
Our pickA dry Brda sparkling wine made by the traditional method gains depth from its time on the lees, and its high acidity and fine bubbles cut the fat of an aged hard cheese like Tolminc between slices.
Skin-contact (orange) Sauvignon, Sauvignonasse or Sivi Pinot Brda
Our pickWhites fermented or macerated on their skins gain texture, a light grip and a drier, more savoury edge. That suits a Tolminc aged past its 60-day minimum, sweet and piquant, better than a fresh white would.
Brda Chardonnay Brda
Our pickTolminc is sweet and piquant, and grows richer and more aromatic with time on wooden shelves. A dry Brda Chardonnay, medium to full in body, matches the firm paste with its weight and orchard fruit, and its acidity cuts the fat.
Brda Merlot Brda
Our pickA full-bodied Brda Merlot, with ripe dark fruit and medium to firm tannin, can stand up to a mature wheel, whose fat and salt soften the grip. Keep to older, harder Tolminc: a young one would be overrun.
Oak-aged Brda red blend of Merlot and Cabernet Brda
Our pickAn aged Tolminc, sweet and piquant with a firm paste, needs a red with weight. Brda's oak-aged blends of Merlot and the Cabernets are full-bodied, and the cheese's fat and salt soften their tannin. Keep to older wheels.
The grapes behind these winesRebulaChardonnayMerlotModri PinotSauvignonasseSivi Pinot
From the source
Where to buy and taste it
Zadruga Tolmin, Nova Gorica
Shop of the Tolmin farming cooperative in Nova Gorica, the gateway town for Brda. Its deli slices cheese and cured meat to order and stocks Planika's whey cheese. A general shop with a butcher, not a fromagerie.
Cheese experiences nearby
From Planika to frika (guided session)
Two-hour guided session at Planika's cheese museum: the history of Soča valley cheesemaking, a tasting of Planika products, then guests cook frika, the valley's traditional cheese dish, together and eat it.
Cheese museum Od planine do Planike
Planika's museum of Soča valley mountain-pasture life and cheesemaking: an old fire-heated cheese kitchen, an alpine pasture hut with its equipment, and a cellar where old Tolminc is aged. Shop on site.
FrikaFest, Kmečki praznik Tolmin
Farm festival in Tolmin joined to the valley's frika day: Soča valley cheeses led by Tolminc, a market of local produce, a show of the best cheeses and a frika cooking contest.
Brda & Collio Wine Festival
Wine festival at Vila Vipolže with over 50 wineries from Brda and Collio; its food area gives a special focus to boutique cheesemakers, and restaurants give cooking shows.
Tolminc: questions
Is Tolminc a raw milk cheese?
It can be either. The EU specification allows raw or thermised cow's milk (57 to 68 °C) and requires the label to say which was used. Planika, the Kobarid dairy, says its Tolminc is made from thermised milk.
How big is a wheel of Tolminc?
The specification gives a round wheel 23 to 27 cm across and 8 to 9 cm high, weighing 3.5 to 5 kg.
Can I buy Tolminc near Brda?
Planika lists the Kmetijska zadruga Tolmin shops, including the one in Nova Gorica, the town beside Brda, among the places that sell its products. For the full range, the dairy's own market and its cheese museum are in Kobarid, a day trip north up the Soča valley.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Brda
Plan the trip
Visit Tolminc country
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
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Sources: protection register, eur-lex.europa.eu, www.mlekarna-planika.si. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.