Cognac Cheese for the Holiday Season

American premium cheese company, Sartori, are releasing a special cheese with a naughty twist for the 2011 holiday season.

The Cognac BellaVitano is a creamy, fruity cheese that is hand produced and enriched with ingredients such as aged European balsamic vinegar, spices and hand crushed black peppercorn.  After these are rubbed into the rind of the cheese it’s left to mature for 18 months – and then the really best part of the production commences.

Sartori cognac Bellavitano Cheese for holiday Season

The whole ‘wheel’ of cheese is then submerged into a premium cognac (they’re a little shy about saying the brand or age of the cognac), and left to absorb the delicious flavours of the eaux-de-vie.  The cheese is removed when the flavour has matured to a nutty, smoky, vanilla and caramel hued delight.  Each wheel of cheese will be numbered and signed by Master Cheese Maker, Mike Matucheski.

If you fancy getting your hands on one of these then you’ll need to be lucky.  Only 20 wheels in total will be made, and will be sold via selected retailers for $75 US dollars.  In addition, visit the Sartori website (www.sartoricheese.com) where they will be selling a limited supply of 4 oz. wedges.

And, if you like the idea of an auction, wheels numbers #1 and #2 are being auctioned for charity via eBay.  Wheel #1 went up on auction on the 21^st November and wheel #2 will be starting on the 26^th November.  Both auctions will be running for 10 days, and the proceeds will go to local food banks.

Sources: www.prnewswire.com