Blu '61
- Producer
- La Casearia Carpenedo
- Country
- Italy
- Region
- Veneto
- Size
- 7.5 in diameter x 3 in height
- Weight
- 4 lb 6 oz
- Website
- www.lacasearia.com
- Milk
- Cow
- Classification
- Blue
- Rennet
- Animal
- Rind
- Flavored
- Style
- Blue
- Flavor
- Flavor added to rind
La Casearia is a creamery and aging facility in the Veneto region of Italy. The history of the company dates back to the early 1900s, when Ernesto Carpenedo began working as a “casoin” (a word in local dialect for a cheesemonger) in a shop in the village of Preganziol. Ernesto eventually founded his own company, which is today run by his son Antonio and his grandsons Ernesto and Alessandro, who have over thirty years of experience in the dairy-cheese sector. Antonio has been devoting his attention to affinage since 1976, the year that he began steeping his first rounds of cheese in wine, giving birth to La Casearia’s signature Ubriaco.
In 1961 Antonio married Giuseppina, and the wine-and-cranberry ripened Blu ’61 was created 50 years later as an ode to their love—both for one another and for great cheeses.
The cow’s milk blue is aged over three months using local sweet wine Passito di Raboso and wine-soaked cranberries. With a paste that grows soft and creamy with age, and a thin red rind paved with the berries on top, Blu ’61 has a striking and memorable appearance.
Tasting Notes
Aromatic and intense notes typical of blue cheese are balanced by sweet and fruity tones with scents of cherry. Wine flavors are not invasive but instead balance out with the creaminess of the paste, creating an intensely hedonistic cheese that’s ready to take the place of dessert.
Pairings
The Carpenedo family suggests serving Blu ‘61 with a compote of balsamic vinegar and fruit. For drink pairings, try it with a sweet Italian Passito or with another dessert wine.
