DOP, first protected 1993Cow milkSemi, hardNatural rind
A semi-cooked cow's-milk cheese from the uplands north of Verona, roughly the Lessinia, Monte Baldo and the pre-alpine hills. It is made in two types: latte intero, from whole milk and sold from 25 days, and d'allevo, from partly skimmed milk, sold from 90 days and sorted by label into mezzano (up to six months) and vecchio (older). The name may come from monta, the Veronese word for milking. Cheesemaking here is recorded before the year 1000, and the cheese has been an Italian denominazione di origine since 1993 and an EU DOP since July 1996. The consortium gives wheels of 25 to 35 cm across, 6 to 11 cm high and 6 to 10 kg.
Taste: Latte intero is mild and pleasant, sweet with a faint sourness, with a thin elastic straw-coloured rind and small, evenly spread eyes. D'allevo has a harder rind, scattered eyes and a fragrant, savoury, balanced flavour that turns slightly peppery with age.
Ageing: Latte intero from 25 days; d'allevo from 90 days (mezzano up to 6 months, vecchio beyond), up to 2 years
Made in: Communes of the northern part of the province of Verona, in the Lessinia and Monte Baldo uplands
DOP, first protected 1993Cow milkSemi, hardNatural rindAlso Monte Veronese DOP d'allevo di malga
The alpine-pasture version of Monte Veronese d'allevo, made only from the milk of cows grazing the pastures from May to October, per the consortium. A Slow Food presidium brought together the dairies and mountain huts willing to make it, and the wheels carry an M branded on the heel beside the DOP mark. Slow Food notes that over a hundred malghe once worked the Lessini and that the presidium exists so the huts and the mountain ecosystem are not lost. The consortium gives Monte Veronese wheels of 25 to 35 cm across and 6 to 10 kg, and Slow Food puts the average at 6 to 9 kg.
Taste: The consortium describes the scent of melted butter, hay and aromatic herbs such as sage, and a flavour of melted butter and hazelnuts that turns slightly spicy with age. The paste firms up at three months and becomes hard and slightly granular with long ageing; rind and paste are an intense yellow, with eyes absent or sparse.
Ageing: From 90 days for the table and at least 6 months for grating, up to 2 years in the stravecchio
Made in: Lessini mountains and Monte Baldo, province of Verona
DOP, first protected 1955Cow milk, rawHardNatural rind
A hard, slow-ripening cow's-milk cheese made across the Po Valley. Verona is one of the provinces in its production zone, and dairies in the Lessinia such as Menegazzi at Erbezzo and Dalla Valentina at Velo Veronese make it alongside Monte Veronese. It is a shared cheese, not a Verona speciality. Italian Wikipedia says a finished wheel weighs between 24 and 40 kg, and Qualigeo gives a minimum of nine months of ageing.
Taste: A finely granular paste, white to straw yellow, with a hard smooth rind. Qualigeo describes a fragrant aroma and a delicate flavour; it is eaten at the table and grated.
Ageing: From a minimum of 9 months to over 20 months
Made in: A large part of the Po Valley, including the province of Verona
