‘A delightful way to end a meal is with a piece of aged Pecorino and a glass of vin santo’
While France is said to lead the world in cheesemaking, for sheer variety Italy is in a league of its own. From the Alps in the north to the central plains and the southern coasts, cheese production is ubiquitous. It’s estimated that 2,50 cheeses are made across the peninsula, with a new variety to be found roughly every 25km.
Italian cheeses are predominantly made from sheep’s and goat’s milk, as 75% of Italy’s landscape consists of hills and mountains, leaving few plains suitable for rearing cows. As many as 55 Italian cheeses have been granted PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) or PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status within the European Union, with scores of others granted special protection within Italy in the form of PAT (Prodotto Agroalimentare Tradizionale) status.
With such a wealth of choice available, we sought insights from five of Italy’s top sommeliers, asking them to share their favourite wine pairings to go with five classic Italian cheeses.
Pecorino Toscano DOP
Region of origin: Tuscany (and some neighbouring municipalities in Lazio and Umbria)
The cheese: Pecorino Toscano is a semi-hard cheese made from sheep’s milk. Fresh Pecorino is aged for 20 days and has a delicate, sweet taste reminiscent of hay and butter. Aged Pecorino must be aged for at least 120 days, developing a more structured flavour profile of hazelnut, dried fruit and herbal notes.
The local
