Wine and cheese just seem to be made for each other, balancing two extraordinary tastes and textures in an exquisite culinary experience. So, it makes total sense that Sartori Merlot BellaVitano® has become such a smash hit. This cheddar-meets-parmesan artisan cheese is soaked in merlot wine to infuse the cheese with fruity and fermented flavors that perfectly complement the milky cream in the cheese.
Introduced in 2008, the award-winning Sartori BellaVitano has become a favorite around the world. BellaVitano combines the rich caramel flavor of cheddar with the salty-sweet crunch of an aged parmesan. As if that weren't enough, Sartori cheesemakers add even more flavor by hand rubbing the rind with herbs and spices or soaking the cheese in wine, beer, spirits, or balsamic vinegar to enhance the cheese's natural flavor. The result: a highly original American cheese that has won a boatload of awards – and the admiration of cheese aficionados everywhere.
Steeped in the history of Italian cheese and the traditions of Wisconsin cheesemaking, Sartori is a fourth-generation operation that's family-owned and operated. The landscape around the company's plant in northeastern Wisconsin is perfect for raising dairy cows. This allows the company to source high-grade milk that's rich in protein and butterfat from nearby family farms. Four Master Cheesemakers guide the production of Sartori merlot cheese along with cheddar, asiago, and parmesan, including the company's highly regarded SarVecchio Parmesan. SarVecchio is among the most awarded parmesans in the country.
Varieties like Sartori merlot cheese are premium examples of the cheesemaking innovation that happens every day in Wisconsin. We've been making cheese here for more than 180 years, and our cheesemakers have created over 600 types, styles, and varieties of cheese. In addition to Sartori merlot cheese, the cheese aisles in our local grocery stores are chock-full of amazing new varieties like Gran Canaria, an aged triple-milk cheese from Carr Valley Cheese, and Uplands Pleasant Ridge Reserve, and an Alpine-style variety that derives its complex flavors from a washed rind and its sweetness from cows grazing on fresh summer grass.
Sartori merlot cheese pairs the rich, creamy flavors of cheddar and parmesan cheese with the plum and berry notes of Merlot wine. Its edible, purple-hued rind is the result of soaking the cheese in merlot during the aging process. Sartori's Wisconsin Master Cheesemakers tried dozens of wines before they found a merlot whose dark fruits perfectly accentuated the slight nuttiness and fruity qualities of the cheese.
Sartori merlot cheese is made with the best milk from the family farms surrounding the plant. Cheesemakers add a blend of starter cultures that will eventually give the cheese its unique flavor profile, and a microbial enzyme that binds the protein in the milk to coagulate the cheese, separating the milky curd from watery whey. The mixture is separated, stirred, and heated, then drained of whey and pressed into hoops. After resting in a salt brine, the cheese is moved to a curing room to age. At the right point in the aging process, cheesemakers soak the wheel in merlot for several days in refrigerated temperatures, then leave the wheel to dry before the cheese is checked for quality and packaged.
As a truly unique variety, Sartori merlot cheese can be enjoyed with wine and beer, on a grazing board, or in a variety of mouthwatering recipes.
A glass of red wine like merlot, pinot noir, or shiraz is the natural complement for this amazing cheese. If you prefer beer, try a dark malty ale, an IPA, a hoppy pilsner, or a wheat beer.
Sartori merlot cheese is amazing when shredded over pasta, cut up for salads, sliced onto sandwiches, or added to burgers and steaks for a delectable dinner.
When preparing a meat and cheese board, pair Sartori merlot cheese with dried nuts and fruits and crusty Italian or French bread.
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