Uncle Joe's (revisited)

Sometimes you think you know a cheese, only to find out that you were wrong! For over a year, I was under the impression that "Uncle Joe's" was a washed-rind cheddar.

In fact, "Uncle Joe's" is a tangy, sometimes fruity and nutty, brick-style cheese made by the folks at Clover Creek Cheese Cellar of Williamsburg, Pennsylvania.

This slightly soft washed-rind cheese was named after - you guessed it - the family's Uncle Joe. The first time this cheese was made, the rind was periodically washed with a Uncle Joe's vintage homemade white wine during the aging process. The enzymes that culture the milk in this cheese are the same as those used in "Royer Mountain" - Clover Creek Cheese Cellar's baby Romano.

Today, wheels of "Uncle Joe's" are rinsed with Sapphire White, a sweet white wine made with Niagara grapes by The Vinyard at Grandview of Mount Joy, Pennsylvania.

As a style, brick cheese originated in Wisconsin around the late 1870s and was cultured with natural dairy bacteria from the herd. It is traditionally pressed into brick form and washed with a salt brine.

Although, some wheels of "Uncle Joe's" cheese are aged a bit longer, this cheese is typically aged about 9 months. If aged longer, this cheese's originally mild and sweet flavor can turn quite sharp with an almost nutty aftertase.

Like most brick-style cheeses, "Uncle Joe's" is a fantastic melter and can be incorporated into countless dishes, but I enjoy the flavor of this one-of-a-kind cheese most thoroughly when eaten in raw form. If wine and cheese pairings are you thing, try "Uncle Joe's" with a bottle of chardonnay or sauvignon blanc. For pairing fun, you could of course try to get your hands on a bottle of Sapphire White, the wine in which this cheese was washed during the aging process.

Photo via www.clovercreekcheese.com.