My first tasting of this round of Jasper Hill's Alpha Tolman Cheese was a quick, objective, utilitarian affair. A hectic schedule had kept me from truly enjoying this cheese. I promised myself that I would devote some time to relax and enjoy this cheese. Coincidentally I had promised my wife we would tour the Wollersheim Winery in Prairie Du Sac Wisconsin.

Sadly my wife and I have lived within a forty minute drive from Wollersheim for most of our lives and had never been there. It seemed appropriate that during their 40th year in business and the year that they were voted Winery of the Year at the San Diego International Wine Competition we would check this stop off our bucket list. The Winery has a wine garden where visitors can picnic and enjoy some wine. I chose this location to spend some casual time enjoying my remaining sample of Alpha Tolman. I selected some fruit, a baguette with dipping sauce and some other great cheeses for our picnic. Following the tour of this historic landmark winery we had an opportunity to sample some wines and pick one to enjoy with our cheese. After much much sampling we finally settled on Wollersheim's Dry Riesling. This semi-sweet wine went well with our picnic choices.

Greet wine, great cheeses and wine garden on the slopes of a vineyard in the Wisconsin River Valley what more could one want. As we relaxed we picked, dipped and nibbled our way through our picnic. This was an opportunity for me to compare Alpha Tolman to EMMI-Gruyere, EMMI-Roth Grand Cru and Sartori Asiago with rosemary and olive oil. I have to say Alpha Tolman was my favorite. This cheese is turning out to be a real competitor. I am sure that when this cheese goes to market I will pick some up for a return visit to Wollersheim.