#winesoaked

Today, we have half of the duo that I like to call "the drunken slutty sisters"- say hello to Drunken Goat (sister of Naked Goat!). Don't worry, I won't get as ranty about raw milk's legal status this time around. So without further ado, the facts:

Milk Type: Pasteurized Goat!

Country of Origin: Spain!

Rennet Type: animal- again, sorry vegetarians!

This goat's milk cheese is one of the cheese that we bought when I visited a friend in Philly (hey, a cheesemonger brings cheese with them almost everywhere- and if not, they seek it out), and she totally fell in love with it! On the opposite side of the spectrum, I once had a customer spit the sample out, and look at me as if I was actively trying to poison her. You guys will have to try it and let me know what you think! It's one of the cheeses found on the cheese plate at a tapas restaurant here in town, which is awesome! I keep seeing more of it than I used to.

Anyway, this semi soft goat's milk cheese is cured in Doble Pasta red wine for anywhere between 48-72 hours, which gives the rind it's beautiful purple color. Like Roquefort has AOC status, Drunken Goat has DOP status, which is Spain's version of the same program. While the outside is purple, the inside stays pure white- to be expected from a goat cheese!

Now, I know a lot of people are still on the fence (if not in the "NO THANKS" camp already) about goat cheeses. So here's the deal: if you want to start eating them for any of the  various beneficial reasons (lower calories, digests MUCH quicker than cow's milk, some people who are lactose intolerant can't have cow's milk, but they CAN have goat's milk, and the milk is less acidic), but you still aren't a fan of that signature 'tang' that goat cheese has- flavored goat cheeses are where I recommend starting. The addition of something else- whether it be herbs, honey, wine- tend to mellow out that tang, and give it an extra oomph- and sometimes even mask that tangyness. Trust me, guys. I didn't like goat cheese very much when I started working a cheesemonger (I think that I've told you that already...), but continuous exposure and seven times out of ten, I'll grab a goat's milk cheese to take home over cow's milk.