The local cheeses of Dão with the local wines that suit them, and why they work.
The cheeses of Dão 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.
Serra da Estrela's paste is buttery, unctuous and only slightly acidulous. A dry Encruzado white has the acidity to cut that cream and enough texture of its own to match the cheese's soft, rich body.
Bottles to try:
Velho is strong to slightly strong, lightly peppery and salty, with a persistent aroma. A Touriga Nacional-led Dão red has the structure to hold up beside it, and the salt and aged fat of the cheese take some edge off the wine's grip.
Bottles to try:
Requeijão is eaten with honey or pumpkin preserve, so a sweet wine follows the same line. A late-harvest Dão white, soft and full with low acidity, matches the creamy white curd rather than cutting through it.
Bottles to try:
A varietal Alfrocheiro red has the acidity to lift Serra da Estrela's buttery, slightly acidulous paste, and the cream of the raw ewe's milk softens the wine's tannin instead of letting it scrape against the cheese.
Bottles to try:
A salt and sweet contrast: the salty, lightly peppery paste of an aged Velho against a sweet late-harvest or noble-rot Dão white, whose sugar softens the cheese's strength and lingers alongside its persistent aroma.
Bottles to try:
Fresh requeijão is white, creamy and mild. A dry traditional-method Dão sparkling brings bubbles and acidity that clear the palate between spoonfuls without masking the delicate flavour of the whey curd.
Bottles to try:
Velho is strong, lightly peppery and salty. A Reserva, Grande Reserva or oak-aged Encruzado has the depth from age, lees or wood to meet it, and its acidity cuts through the aged fat while the salt sets off the fruit.
Bottles to try:
Velho is strong, salty and lightly peppery with a persistent aroma. A full-bodied Dão red blend, with medium to firm tannin, has the weight to stand beside it, and the cheese's salt and aged fat round the wine's grip.
Bottles to try:
Jaen gives a soft Dão red with low to medium tannin, so nothing firm fights the creamy, unctuous paste of a young Serra da Estrela, and the wine's fruit stands up to the cheese's mild, slightly acidulous flavour.
Bottles to try:
Velho is strong, salty and lightly peppery, with a persistent aroma. A Dão Garrafeira red, given long oak and bottle ageing before release, has the depth and structure to stand beside it. Serve it with thin slices.
Bottles to try:
Serra da Estrela's fresh paste is buttery, creamy and slightly acidulous. A dry Dão white blend of native grapes, raised mainly in steel or concrete, brings acidity that cleans the palate after each mouthful of the unctuous cheese.
Bottles to try:
Serra da Estrela's buttery paste wants a red that lifts it. A medium-bodied Dão red blend, with tannin no higher than medium and acidity to cut through the cream, refreshes the palate without scraping against the cheese.
Bottles to try:
Velho is strong, salty and lightly peppery, with a persistent aroma. A Dão Reserva or Grande Reserva red blend, held back for longer ageing before release, has the depth to meet it, and the aged ewe's milk fat softens the wine's tannin.
Bottles to try:
Velho is strong, salty and lightly peppery. A Dão white fermented on its skins, a curtimenta, brings a touch of grip and texture to meet that strength, and the salt in the cheese sets off the wine's fruit.
Bottles to try:
A medium-bodied varietal Touriga Nacional, with medium tannin and high acidity, lifts the buttery, slightly acidulous paste of a young Serra da Estrela, and the cream of the raw ewe's milk softens the wine's tannin.
Bottles to try:
Requeijão is mild and creamy, so it takes a lean white: an unoaked varietal Cerceal is light in body with sharp acidity, enough to refresh between spoonfuls without competing with the delicate curd.
Bottles to try:
Requeijão is white, creamy and mild. A dry Dão white pressed from red grapes, Jaen or Touriga Nacional, refreshes between spoonfuls of the soft curd and brings a fruit that sets off its mild, milky flavour.
Bottles to try:
A fresh Serra da Estrela is buttery and only slightly acidulous. A dry Dão rosé brings red-fruit freshness and acidity that cut the cream and leave the palate ready for the next mouthful.
Bottles to try:
Velho is strong, salty and lightly peppery. A full-bodied varietal Tinta Roriz has the structure to stand up to it, and the salt and aged fat of the cheese ease the wine's tannin on the finish.
Bottles to try:
A light Dão red or palhete, low in tannin and high in acidity, keeps the creamy, unctuous paste of a young Serra da Estrela fresh on the palate, and there is no grip for the soft cheese to fight against.
Bottles to try:
After hotel pickup in Coimbra, we take direction to activity start in Viseu. Day dedicated to bicycle touring on an old railway branch that has 130 years of transpor...
Raw milk from Serra da Estrela (Bordaleira) and Churra Mondegueira ewes, curdled with thistle flower (Cynara cardunculus) instead of animal rennet, according to the DOP summary on the Portuguese traditional products site.
The specification gives 8 to 20 cm in diameter, 4 to 6 cm in height and 0.4 to 1.7 kg. Wikipedia in Portuguese gives a weight of 0.7 to 1.5 kg.
The DOP summary says the Romans introduced it, that King Dinis created the first cheese dairy in the municipality of Celorico da Beira in 1287, and that the cheese reached Lisbon and Porto in 1885. The cooperative Estrelacoop calls it the oldest of all Portuguese cheeses.
Portuguese Wikipedia says it should be served in slices, rind included, at under 18 degrees.
At least 120 days, against a 30-day minimum for the standard cheese, per the DOP summary and Estrelacoop.
The paste is semi-hard to extra-hard and orange-brown rather than semi-soft, buttery and white-yellowish, and the flavour is stronger and lightly peppery.
A cheese made by heating the whey left over from Serra da Estrela cheese until its proteins set, according to the DOP summary.
Plain, dissolved in milk or coffee, or with honey or pumpkin preserve, with or without walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds, according to Estrelacoop.
