Cupola

Meet our Wisconsin cheese neighbor, Cupola

Cupola is an award-winning, semi-hard cheese handcrafted in small batches for Red Barn Family Farms in Appleton. The name is inspired by the small wooden structures that appear at the pinnacle of traditional Wisconsin barns. The name feels right, as Cupola cheese is the pinnacle of a cheesemaking process built on years of hard work, a strong commitment to the health of the cows, and cheesemaking skills of a champion Wisconsin cheesemaker.

All that effort and pedigree disappear, though, when you taste this simple pastoral beauty. The experts call it a white, alpine-style cheese, firm but subtle in texture with a fruity and nutty flavor that hints at caramel and toasted pineapple. We just call it lovely and delicious.

What to combine with Cupola

Cupola has a parmesan-meets-gouda feel to it, so we like to grate it over pasta dishes like ravioli, orzo, or gnocchi. It can also hold its own with a meaty braised beef or big-sauced pasta like bolognese. You can slice Cupola thin and serve it over a plate of grilled vegetables with drizzle of olive oil. On a cheese charcuterie spread, Cupola shines in the company of thick-cut salami, rustic crackers, and sweet pepper jelly.

For beverages, Cupola prefers medium to full-bodied drinks with a bit of spice to match the cheese's slight sweetness. If it's wine time, a malbec, merlot, chardonnay, or riesling will fit right in. For beer, we suggest amber and belgian ales, fruit beers, or saison. Brandy, port, or rum work too, if you want something stronger.

For Cupola, it's got to be Wisconsin.

When you want to try this award-winning cheese, Wisconsin is the place to find it. In fact, Wisconsin is the only place to find it. It's also the place to find the kind of innovation and pioneering spirit that brought the original cheesemakers to this region nearly 200 years ago.

Over the intervening centuries, Wisconsin has become the cheesemaking capital of the US, if not the world. Each year, our 1200 licensed cheesemakers (we're the only state that cares enough to make our makers get a license) produce over 600 varieties, types and styles of cheese – twice as many as any other state. And we've won more awards for our efforts than any other state or country. Guess that makes us kind of good at what we do.

So whether you looking for a high-quality, small batch, artisan cheese like Cupola or Liederkranz® or our bigger, ever popular varieties like colby cheese and mozzarella, when you see the Proudly Wisconsin Cheese badge on the label, you know you're looking at – um, heck, will just say it – the best cheese there is.