Sweet Italian Cheese

Living La Dolce Vita with Sweet Italian Cheese

For a cheese lover, there's nothing sweeter than the anticipation of savoring a chunk of cheddar, a slice of swiss, or a bite of blue cheese. That's doubly true when it comes to the sweet Italian cheeses. Varieties like fontina, provolone, and parmesan are slightly sweet to the taste, thanks to natural sugars in the milk. Other sweet Italian cheeses are the stuff of dreams for dessert lovers: Ricotta is at the very heart of a cannoli, and mascarpone is the creamy layer of a tantalizing tiramisu. So, next time you're hankering for a delicious treat, try satisfying your sweet tooth with some sweet Italian cheeses.

Wisconsin's Take on Sweet Italian Cheese

Wisconsin may be one ocean and half a continent away from the Italian Peninsula, but sweet Italian cheeses feel right at home in America's Dairyland. That's because our cheesemakers have been perfecting and improving on Old World cheesemaking recipes for more than 180 years. From mascarpone and provolone to ricotta and fontina, you'll find award-winning versions of many naturally sweet Italian cheeses in Wisconsin. And when you want to up the ante on flavorful sweet cheese, we've also got lots of specialty varieties with added ingredients. Try Espresso Mascarpone with added coffee and sugar, or Blueberry Lemon Fontal Cheese, a version of fontina that's rubbed with the sweet flavor of blueberries and the fresh burst of lemon.

What to Know about Sweet Italian Cheese

What makes certain cheeses sweet?

Some cheeses have a flavor that is naturally slightly sweet, thanks to a lack of acid in the cheese. This can be the result of washing the curd during the make process or aging time that results in the gradual breakdown of proteins into certain amino acids that offer a perception of sweetness..

Why are younger cheeses sweeter than some aged varieties?

As cheese ages, the enzymes in the culture break down the lactose or milk sugars in the cheese, resulting in a dryer texture and less sweetness in the flavor. However, some aged varieties (hello, parmesan!) have a sweeter side to them because of how amino acids are broken down during that luxuriously long, slow fermentation process.

What are the varieties of sweet Italian cheese?

Several Italian cheese varieties are famous for their subtle, sweet flavors.

• Fontina, or fontal cheese, comes from the Aosta Valley in northwestern Italy. Made with milk from cows who graze on sweet alpine grasses, fontina is usually aged no longer than three months to create a soft cheese with a creamy, sweet flavor.
• Provolone cheese comes in several varieties, including provolone dolce, which is a young and mild cheese with a naturally sweet taste.
• Gorgonzola

  dolce

  is a younger version of the famous Italian blue cheese. Aged for a shorter period of time, gorgonzola dolce is creamier and sweeter than gorgonzola picante, which has a stronger taste of the tanginess of blue cheese.
• Mascarpone gets its natural deliciousness by warming cream and adding citric acid. The result is a thick, spreadable, slightly sweet cheese that is destined for desserts.
• Ricotta is made from cream and whey – the part of the milk that is separated from the curd. After boiling it and filtering it through a cloth, the result is a fresh cheese variety that's rather like cottage cheese but with a sweet taste, thanks to lingering milk sugars.
• Parmesan cheese is an exception to the rule about younger cheeses being sweeter. Like some other aged cheeses, aging may create new sweet compounds and aroma molecules that lead to a perception of sweetness.

What to Serve and Pour with Sweet Italian Cheese

While sweet Italian cheeses are always happy to be enjoyed on their own, pairing them with the right wine, beer, and cheeseboard ingredients can highlight their subtle flavors.

• Mascarpone appreciates sweet drinks like port, fruit ales, grappa, and hard cider. Sparkling wines offer a nice contrast to the rich creaminess of the cheese. Be sure to stay clear of wines with lots of tannin or beer with lots of hops. Mascarpone is extra delicious with dates or grilled fruits drizzled in honey and with crackers or pistachios for a bit of crunch.
• Ricotta plays nicely with anything light, effervescent, and bubbly. Try a pinot grigio, cava, or an off-dry prosecco, or a pilsner, kolsch, or citrusy fruit beer.
• Provolone matches up nicely with young and fruity wines or a pilsner, lager, or pale ale. With charcuterie, provolone will amp up the flavor of cured olives, dried apricots, fig spreads, and toasted bruschetta.
• Fontina is a flexible cheese and can be enjoyed with chardonnay, riesling, chianti, vouvray, montepulciano, or cabernet sauvignon. For beer, saisons, bocks, or lambics are always good choices. Fontina loves a slice of crusty bread and goes down nicely with dried fruits, dates, and figs.
• Gorgonzola dolce loves a good riesling, pinot bianco, a light rose, or a sparkling white to contrast the rich creamy texture of the cheese. An IPA beer will blend nicely with the funkier flavors in this cheese. With charcuterie, gorgonzola dolce likes the extra sweetness of honey and fruit jams as well as the tartness of pears or green apples. Marcona almonds, walnuts, or pecans are great for crunchy contrast.
• Parmesan deserves a wine with bigger flavor – try pairing it with chianti, pinot noir, malbec, prosecco, or riesling. For beer, think pilsners, golden ales, and lighter beers that accentuate the sharpness of the cheese, or the refreshing contrast of a hoppy IPA. On a grazing board, parmesan loves the complex flavor combinations of apples, grapes, fig jam, prosciutto, and a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar.