Created by Master Cheesemaker Sid Cook of Carr Valley Cheese, Gran Canaria™ is a true masterpiece of Wisconsin cheese innovation. Gran Canaria is inspired by traditional Greek farmstead cheese but named for one of Spain's Canary Islands. It combines cow, goat, and sheep milk from local family farms in wheels that are cured with olive oil (in an homage to traditional Canary Island cheesemaking techniques) and aged for at least two years. With a crumbly texture and complex fruity, nutty, sweet, intense, and pungent aroma and flavor, Gran Canaria has won lots of prestigious awards, including Overall Best USA Cheese Outright at the 2022 International Cheese and Dairy Awards.
Sid Cook is a fourth-generation Wisconsin cheesemaker who is the most awarded Master Cheesemaker in North America. Known for creating one-of-a-kind, award-winning original cheeses, Sid Cook and Carr Valley Cheese source milk from small local farms to create more than 90 varieties of cheese. Combining Old World craftsmanship with new innovations, Carr Valley Cheese has won more than 550 cheesemaking awards in national and international competitions.
Along with Sid Cook, Wisconsin is home to more than 1,200 licensed cheesemakers, including over 90 Master Cheesemakers, who are constantly raising the bar for flavor and texture with cheese. Along with Gran Canaria, you'll want to try award-winning Wisconsin originals like Pavino by Roth Cheese, Luna cheese by Hill Valley Dairy, Wood River Creamery Cheddar Gruyere by Burnett Dairy, and Uplands Pleasant Ridge Reserve, the most awarded cheese in America.
Gran Canaria cheese is made by combining milk from cows, sheep, and goats with enzymes and rennet, which coagulates the cheese and creates a curd. After the milk curd is separated from the watery whey, the cheese is pressed into 10-pound wheels and aged for two years. Cheesemakers coat it with olive oil to produce a natural rind.
Gran Canaria from Carr Valley is named after the Spanish island that's part of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic, off the northwestern coast of Africa.
Caves, both natural and man-made, have long been used in the maturation process for cheeses. The lower, stable temperatures in a cave cultivate healthy bacteria, yeast, mold, and enzymes as the cheese ages while also controlling the rate of ripening. High levels of humidity in caves prevent cheeses from hardening and cracking.
Master Cheesemaker is a title conferred upon a cheesemaker who has completed the Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker® Program, a three-year educational program for experienced cheesemakers who have held a Wisconsin cheesemaker's license and been making the cheese they wish to be certified in for a minimum of 10 years. Upon completing the program – the only one in the United States – cheesemakers hold the title of Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker for that particular cheese, something which has been conferred on fewer than 100 individuals.
When drinking wine with Gran Canaria, reach for reds like malbec, zinfandel, and pinot noir that can match the complexity of the cheese. For beer, try a Belgian ale, amber ale, saison ale, or a malty chocolate stout. If you prefer something with more punch, reach for an Old Fashioned, Manhattan, or a Kentucky bourbon.
As a cheese that's aged a minimum of two years, Gran Canaria possesses bold flavors that pair well with hearty fare. Eat it alongside slow-braised short ribs or lamb stew, a cioppino seafood stew, or garlic and herby prime rib. Grate it over pastas like pork shoulder ravioli or combine it with figs for stuffed pork chops.
On the cheese board or grazing board, Gran Canaria pairs well with apricot jam and rosemary crackers, smoky bacon, and chocolate espresso beans.
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