The local cheeses of Abruzzo with the local wines that suit them, and why they work.
The cheeses of Abruzzo with the wines made beside them. Pairings marked as a local tradition are the ones a regional source names; the rest are our own picks, and say so.
An aged Farindola is mushroomy and hay-scented and only mildly piquant. A dry Montepulciano d'Abruzzo meets those woodland notes with its fruit, and the moist sheep's-milk paste softens the wine's tannin.
Bottles to try:
A canestrato aged beyond a year is creamy yet piquant, with chestnut and spice. A full-bodied riserva has the weight to match it, and its tannin is softened by the fat of the paste.
Bottles to try:
A younger, semi-aged Farindola has milk and grass flavours that suit a dry, high-acid white. The Pecorino grape's acidity lifts the paste; the grape and the cheese happen to share a name.
Bottles to try:
Young Pecorino di Atri, eaten at about 10 days, is soft, white and faintly acidic. A Trebbiano d'Abruzzo with high acidity echoes that and keeps the pairing light and fresh.
Bottles to try:
For a fresh or semi-aged wheel, with its hay notes and sweet finish, the high acidity of a dry Cerasuolo refreshes the palate, and with no tannin it does not overpower a cheese that is still gentle.
Bottles to try:
This mountain pecorino moves from delicate to piquant with age and is generally less salty than pecorini elsewhere in central Italy. A dry Montepulciano d'Abruzzo meets it with fruit and tannin, and the sheep's-milk fat softens the wine's grip.
Bottles to try:
A soft, mild sheep's cheese set with wild artichoke and saffron needs a light, delicate white. Cococciola's modest weight and fresh acidity let the herbal scent of the cheese come through.
Bottles to try:
A caciocavallo aged until it turns firm and piquant can stand up to a full-bodied Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. The wine's fruit offsets the piquant heat, and the fat of the stretched cow's-milk paste softens the tannin.
Bottles to try:
Aged sheep's ricotta keeps a soft, fragrant paste tasting of milk and mountain forage. A dry, high-acid Pecorino cuts the milky richness and leaves room for the herbal notes, which a heavier red would flatten.
Bottles to try:
A young or medium-aged mountain pecorino is delicate at first and grows more piquant. A Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo Superiore, a dry Montepulciano rosé with red fruit, cuts the sheep's-milk fat, and with no tannin there is nothing to clash with the salt.
Bottles to try:
The mixed cow and sheep cheese of Farindola is decided in flavour but more delicate than the pecorino. A dry Cerasuolo with high acidity gives it freshness without tannin.
Bottles to try:
Marcetto is a very piquant, strong-smelling cream eaten by the spoonful on bread. A full-bodied Montepulciano d'Abruzzo riserva, with its depth of fruit and tannin, is one of the few wines that holds its own; a little cheese at a time keeps the balance.
Bottles to try:
Medium-aged Pecorino di Atri is straw yellow, firmer, more intense and a little saltier than the young cheese. A dry Trebbiano d'Abruzzo Superiore, rested for months before bottling, has the acidity to cut the sheep's-milk fat and the depth for the firmer paste.
Bottles to try:
Fresh scamorza is compact and delicate, and the briefly matured appassita is more decided. A dry Cerasuolo with high acidity refreshes the stretched cow's-milk paste and has the weight to hold up to the appassita.
Bottles to try:
Fresh, creamy giuncata has the acidic taste and smell of fresh curd. A dry Trebbiano d'Abruzzo with high acidity matches that tang, and its delicate fruit keeps the pairing light instead of covering the milk.
Bottles to try:
An aged goat's cheese, compact and slightly chalky with intense flavour, needs a white with high acidity. A dry Pecorino supplies it, lifting the dense paste and keeping the strong goat flavour from taking over.
Bottles to try:
Explore Raiano on a guided walking tour. See historic murals, visit the San Venanzio Nature Reserve, and enjoy an olive oil and gelato tasting at Bar Aterno.
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Slow Food says the use of pig rennet is very old, and that a Vestini cheese made with pig rennet is already mentioned in Roman times. The regional tourism board calls it a case unique in Italy.
No. It is a Slow Food presidium and is on the Abruzzo list of traditional food products (PAT). The consortium's site says the procedure for the D.O.P. label is in progress.
The consortium's home page counts 12 producing farms. Slow Food says it is still made in very limited quantities, and that production is the prerogative of the women of the farm families, who hand the recipe down.
The park's product page says the rind carries the imprint of the basket (canestro) in which the curd is shaped.
Slow Food says the milk is used pure and comes mostly from Sopravvissana or Gentile di Puglia sheep.
Slow Food gives half a kilo to two and a half kilos for the aged wheels it describes, and the presidium rules also cover 5 kg and traditional 15 kg wheels. The Gran Sasso park page gives a range of 1 to 15 kg.
The Abruzzo tourism board gives 40 days to 2 years, depending on the style.
The tourism board says it can be eaten as it is, or kept in jars under extra virgin olive oil and eaten after at least six months. Italian Wikipedia adds that it is usually aged 40 to 60 days in bran, or much more rarely in ash, before it goes under oil.
