In these hot July days a beer often seems like the Holy Grail, but we all know that even the best drink cannot replace cheese as our daily staple food.

Therefore, on our tasting plate today: <Herve affiné à la Bière >, a cheese that perfectly pairs whatever beer you were already planning to have.

I wanted to write this blog post for a while – but was thinking “who doesn´t know Willi Schmid – Swiss Mastermind of Cheese? “
The next thought then was that if one writes about him, one should or probably must write a book.

But I figured both might not be entirely true and therefore for all the people who do not yet know Willi Schmid and his cheeses I share the fruits of my research.

When your friends are scattered around the globe, spontaneous beers are a rare joy, but on the upside you get inside-views of other cultures and countries.

One of my friends co-runs hep.istanbul vienna,  a company specialized in concept & strategy development for a number of things including the food and drink sector.
So, naturally when given the “please bring me some cheese from Turkey” challenge, he didn´t show up with just some random market cheese.

When I think of Denmark, I think of tall, skinny people, maybe eating a Danish version of Gouda and mainly drinking milk  instead of eating cheese (somehow they have to get that tall after all).

When thinking of Lombardy one thinks of Milan or, in terms of cheese, probably of famous PDOs like Gorgonzola and Taleggio.  But it wouldn´t be Italy if the obvious wouldn´t be escorted by an uncountable variety of more hidden wonders and gems.

Want to take a deep Italian flavor dive?
How about pairing your red with some “Pecorino Paglia e Fieno” ?

This Pecorino happily ripens in a cosy coat of straw and hay, keeping it warm while arming it against invaders and providing it with a unique taste.

Living in Vienna it´s not the eastiest task to get your hands on Spanish cheese not named Manchego, the happier I was when a friend texted me that he brought back some Spanish delights from a recent trip to the farmers market in Tolosa in the basque province of Gipuskoa in the north of Spain.

Gustav, who claims he could easily win any beauty contest with any cheese that strolls along, was hiding in the background when the photosession for this creamy beauty took place today.

Maybe you are too old to get drunk, or over it, or never wanted to be – but if you chose “il formaggio imbriago” as your evening companion, your cheese is certainly not.