Speziato
- Producer
- Casearia Carpenedo
- Country
- Italy
- Region
- Veneto
- Size
- 7.5 in diameter x 4 in height
- Weight
- 6.6 lbs
- Website
- www.lacasearia.com
- Milk
- Cow
- Treatment
- Pasteurised
- Classification
- Semi Soft
- Rennet
- Animal
- Rind
- Flavor Added
- Flavor
- Flavor added to paste
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 (which translates into “drunken”).
Slivers of black truffle are incorporated into the curd of this soft and compact cow’s milk cheese before pressing. After a short aging period, the wheels are rubbed with extra-virgin olive oil and a secret spice blend developed by Antonio.
Tasting Notes
Ready for sale after one month of aging, the cheese has a thin, bronze-colored rind that Carpenedo’s cheesemakers describe as recalling “the sand of the Jordanian desert.” Its soft paste is packed with intensely earthy truffle flavor, which are complemented with spicy, aromatic notes from the rind.
Pairings
Pair it with a Sauvignon Blanc or a Chardonnay. Speziato can also be paired with any well-structured red or white wine that contains an intense and persistent bouquet, to counterbalance the strong taste of the various spices.
