Category: Piemonte

Microbrewery Croce di Malto
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Croce di malto, a clever pun on croce di malta, which is a mechanism for driving film projectors and also a Maltese cross, while malto in Italian is malt in English, points to someone who knows his game and leaves nothing to chance. The owner, Alessio Selvaggio, studied food science before his partner made him start making beer instead. Beers of optimum quality, are made at this microbrewery, characterised by appealing tastes making them unique. This has been confirmed by winning first prize for best beer together with a platinum medal at “Mondial de la Biere 2009″ in Strasburg with their beer TripleXXX.

Some of the beers which are made at this micro brewery are as follows:
- Hauria: inspired by beer from Cologne in Germany and characterised by a bitter taste
- Triticum weizen: distinguished by a fruity flavour and a high gas content
- Magnus: taste derived from malt and spices
- Acerbus: a bitter ale whose taste derives from a diverse selection of hops
- TripleXXX: a doubly malted beer
- Temporis: a fruity, spring beer
- Platinum: a Christmas beer
- Umbra: characterised by wheat which has not been malted together with oats
Alessio told us that beermaking is constantly changing and new varieties are made continuously. It should be safe to say that he’s a purist as regards beermaking due to that he doesn’t pasteurize or filter their beers and only the cold is used as a preservative. Besides, he’s very meticulous and fussy regarding the expiry date of their beers, which varies from beer to beer, but shouldn’t exceed 3-4 months, in general.

More information about their beers can be found at the web site of Croce di Malto, with supplemental advice on what type of food should be eaten with what type beer, and also what type of glass with which to drink the beer.

They are also arranging informal beer evenings, and they are providing technical assistance to would-be brewers. Besides, they are thinking about selling their beers in bottles at various shops.
11/10/2010
The Rapio Farm and Rice Shop
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The Rapio farm was founded in 1892 by the maternal grandfather of the present owner, Michele Rapio.

Rice is cultivated at this farm as a vocation, thereby handing down ancient, agricultural methods from generation to generation.

Differing from rice sold by major distributors, rice from the Rapio farm isn’t mixed with rice from other locations, in fact, all their rice is harvested in the same fields in Vespolate.

The following types of rice are cultivated at this farm:
- Vialone Nano – a semifine rice
- Carnaroli – a fine rice
- Roma – a fine rice
- Baldo – a fine rice
The cultivation of the rice is organic and only natural methods are used in order to avoid stressing the soil. These types of methods can be partly summarized as follows:
- only natural fertilizers are employed.
- making the rice plants more resistant against diseases using products which harm wildlife as little as possible.
- using green manure in order to make the soil more fertile. That is, planting legumes on any field not occupied by rice. When the legumes are mature, the field is is plowed, leaving the uprooted legumes to decompose below ground, enriching the soil mainly with nitrogen.
- using as little water as possible such that minerals present in the soil aren’t washed away.
- using calcium cyanamide which works simultaneously both as a fertilizer and as a fungicide.
The Rapio farm oversees almost all phases of cultivation of rice, meaning that they are doing the following themselves:
- preparation of the terrain
- fertilizing
- seeding
- harvesting
- storage
only polishing is left to other enterprises.

Rice cultivation follows the seasons as shown below:
- February: initial fertilization
- March: preparation of the terrain
- April: the rice field are completely submerged in water and ready to be seeded
- May: the seedlings appear
- June: the true growth of the rice plants
- July: the rise is flowering
- August: the grains are maturing
- September: harvesting
In addition to selling rice, other products derived from rice are sold in the same shop, among others:
- biscuits
- breadsticks
- pasta
- flour
- rice beer
- rice spirit
- rice oil
The rice is sold mainly in Italy, Switzerland and the United States.
11/10/2010
Eugenio Truffa Giachet confectionery

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Turin’s request for being considered as a “the capital of chocolate” is derived from a tradition dating from the early 1600s. During the Napoleonic wars, a naval blockade in the Mediterranean impeded the import of cocoa beans to Italy and, being the main ingredient of chocolate, the production of chocolate. Fortunately, a certain Michele Prochet had a brilliant idea: mix chocolate with hazel nuts. In the beginning, the finished product was called givu in Piemontese, meaning stub because of its cylindrical shape.The first gianduiotto (literally, a small gianduja, which is pronounced jan-doo-yah) was presented at Carnival, in the shape of an upturned boat of the carnival mask.

A gianduja of prime quality contains very little sugar, instead its taste is given by a mix of chocolate and hazel nuts. A real gianduja is produced only by using the hazel nuts called Tonda Gentile, which are only cultivated in the Langhe area in Piemonte, incidentally the same as where the Truffa confectionery is located. In order to transform the hazel nuts into an ingredient in a gianduja, they have to be toasted slowly and be turned around continuously. Doing it this way, the outer shell will not be burned at the same time as the core is being toasted.

The confectionery of Eugenio Truffa has been in Bossolasco, the village of roses, for 25 years. He’s a real craftsman, who loves his work. Having arrived at his premises without any appointment, he welcomed us warmly. Waiting for an appropriate moment, that is when the pastry shop wasn’t full of customers, my guide went up to him, presented us and asked him about his work. After a short chat, he invited us to join him in his confectionery upstairs where he proudly showed us the machines he and his workers are using together with a big clump of 25 year old yeast, probably a sourdough starter. Understanding why he’s famous for his pastries was quite easy: if his products had a quality corresponding to a half of the love and passion he showed when presenting his products to us, they would still have been excellent. Having finished the theoretical part, we turned to the tasty part consisting of enjoying the taste of mixed fruits mixed with dark chocolate. We could also admire a phone made of chocolate, taste the “Smiles of Bossolasco” and the “Gera ed Belb”, a real feast for the eyes (together with our taste buds). We could also gaze at a wide selection of jams, Turkish delights and ice cream. Treats not to be missed.

All the products are based on traditional, mostly Piemontese recipes where Eugenio mixes natural materials of optimum quality without adding preservatives or chemicals. Unfortunately, we had to let Signor Truffa in peace, and having thanked him again, we left the pastry shop unwillingly.

The village of Bossolasco is located off the beaten track. In order to get there, drive south from Alba towards the sea where you will ascend the hilly terrain of Medialanga. It takes about 20 minutes, but it’s really worth it. In addition to being able to eat delicious sweets, you can admire breathtaking panoramic views and lovely scenery, another reason for going to Bossolasco.

10/10/2010
The Truffle Dog University

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Unfortunately, it isn’t enough just to bring a dog into a forest, let it sense the scent of a truffle and then order it to search for another one.

Training a dog to search for truffles is an art where the owner has to work quite hard with the relation between man and animal. According to my guide, Filippo, the truffle dogs are often crossbreeds and not of pure race. Even though I don’t know the syllabus at the Truffle Dog University, which was founded in 1880 by the great-grandfather of Giovanni Monchiero, the present owner, it certainly isn’t easy to study there! Since the dogs have to pass a demanding education, they receive a certificate of completion at graduation.

We witnessed a simulated search for truffles in a hazel nut plantation in the vicinity of Roddi, meaning that before the search started, Giovanni had hidden some truffles at various places in the hazel nut plantation. Being a good truffle dog, it even found other truffles not hidden by Giovanni.

During the simulated search Giovanni let his dog walk around freely, but following the instructions of his owner. When the dog found something interesting, it started immediately digging with his forepaws, indicating to his owner where to find another choice truffle. Then, Giovanni stopped the dog digging, and started digging carefully himself using both his hands and a tool called a sapin, ideal for digging gently. At the same time, the dog was lying on the ground, observing what was happening and waiting for his reward. After having found another truffle, the dog is always given something good to eat and lots of caresses.

After having extracted the truffle from the ground, the hole has to be covered meticulously in order to avoid destroying neither roots nor seeds left by the truffle, letting other truffles be able to grow up in the same place,

While we were watching the truffle hunt, it seemed like Giovanni and his dog acted almost like one. A citation from the web site of Giovanni should suffice to confirm this: only a close relation with the right dog will allow the owner to recognise the signals indicating the presence of a truffle.

09/10/2010
Turin Brewery
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The first brewery in Italy was founded in 1845 in Turin. Unfortunately, after more than 100 years of producing beer in Italy, micro and mini breweries disappeared during the economic boom during the 1960s. For the next 50 years, beer consumed in Italy was either imported or produced on an industrial scale in Italy.

The first microbreweries started reappearing in 1997. A modest number of 30 existed 10 years ago, while now there are about 300. In general, the Italians know all about wine, while they know next to nothing about beer.

By happy chance, the sense of taste is changing. Formerly, beer in Italy was drunk with pizza only, while now you can find beers suitable for drinking with fresh and mature cheeses, starters, fish, desserts, etc. In fact, there is a beer for every course. Even restaurants are starting to offer a varied selection of beers.

Turin Brewery or “Birrificio Torino” in Italian is located near Mole Antonelliana, the major landmark of Turin. Being originally a candy factory, the present owners, Mauro Mascarello and Claudia Fertino, have turned it into a combined brewery and restaurant.

When this combined restaurant and brewery was opened, the owners didn’t make any publicity at all, just being a pub and brewery quite out of the ordinary and using word of mouth among beer lovers, was enough to fill up the premises from day one on.

Mauro, went to Bavaria, the Czech Republic, Belgium and northern France, in order to learn how to make beer from local master brewers. From each and every one he received advice and experience which he brought back to Turin, in turn making excellent beer for his customers.

In order to make prime beers, Mauro has first to select the best ingredients. First, using Turinese water having a medium hardness and being well adapted to making beer, Then, depending on which type of beer he wants to make, for instance, light or dark, he selects a certain kind of malt, while depending on the amount of bitterness he wants to obtain, he can select from various types of hops. Finally, in order to turn sugar into alcohol, he also has to add yeast.

Beers, being live products, are neither pasteurized nor filtered at this brewery, making them keep their flavours and tastes like a fresh product for a limited time. In addition, no artificial preservatives are added and the only method of conservation is done by cooling the beers.

The following beers are produced year-round:
- Birra Torino – a doubly malted, light, lowly fermented beer
- Birra Rufus – a doubly malted, bitter, lowly fermented beer
- Birra Clara – a light, lowly fermented beer
- Birra Sahara – a light, highly fermented beer
In addition, the following seasonal beers are produced:
- Birra di Natale – Christmas beer scented with honey and having a high alcoholic content
- Birra di Primavera – spring beer enriched with flowering hops
- Birra Aurora – ginger beer
Cooling the beers excessively will change their tastes, meaning that every beer should be stored and served within a specific temperature range in order to enjoy the individual characteristics of each beer together with an accompanying meal served at the restaurant of Birrificio Torino.
08/10/2010
The Claudio Bressano farm

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The Claudio Bressano farm is a family-driven farm, whose main activity is cultivating hazel nuts besides cultivating some vines for domestic use and raising Piemontese oxen, which are native to Piemonte.

The passion for raising Piemontese oxen was passed on to Claudio from his father, a great expert on this subject.

Claudio buys the best available calves, when they are weaned, from selected farms. When the animals arrive at his farm, they weigh about 200 kilogrammes, while they weigh about 600-700 kilogrammes after 20-25 months. The animals are only fed the best, available food. In fact, all the animal feed is cultivated at the farm in order to guarantee high quality meat only.

Cultivating food for the animals, which are producing manure to be used as fertilizer on the farm gives a very tight cycle: hay obtained from meadow grass, maize, field beans and barley cultivated and milled at the farm, and everything being fertilized by a mix of manure and hay.

Each ox had a yellow mark on one of its ears and I would like to know what they indicated since they seemed to contain more than just the typical cryptic numbers. Claudio patiently explained to me their meaning: the first symbols show the parents of the animal permitting a retrace of its genealogy, followed by a symbol indicating at which farm it was born, a serial number for a bovine register, last but not least, the name of the animal.

In other words, this is a tiny livestock farming where man and animal stay in close contact with each other where the animals have first names like it was a big family.

Claudio confided to us that he’s raising these animals because of his grand passion for doing it since it barely pays itself. In the past, raising livestock was an investment since in a year with a small harvest due to bad weather and consequently little food for man and animals, it was possible to sell the calves, but now life is different.

In addition to breeding Piemontese oxen, they are also cultivating 2600 hazel nut trees, which as mentioned at the beginning, constitutes the main activity at this farm.

After having harvested and dried the hazel nuts, they are sold to companies which use them as ingredients for confectionery and a diverse selection of foods.

They are also cultivating Barbera and Dolcetto d’Alba vines for domestic use only.

08/10/2010
Traditional bakery “Bonino”
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Today we visited the traditional bakery “Bonino”, a small family business being managed by Gianni and his wife, in order to see how bakery products are made manually according to methods used since ancient times. All phases of the work are done manually, preparing the dough in a kneader being the only exception.

Here, breads are made following the tradition of the Langhe area, before being baked in a wood-fired oven. The oven is heated the evening before baking should take place such that the temperature of the oven is optimum in the morning. Gianni told us that he used a month just to understand the basics of the oven, and more than a year in order to obtain the products he wanted.

The ingredients of the breads are: plain white flour, cold water, salt and yeast.

The kneader mixes the ingredients slowly in order to ensure that their characteristics are maintained even after having been mixed. For Gianni, the dough is alive and it has to be treated gently, meaning that overheating must be avoided at all costs, and not stressing it by speeding up the preparation, besides allowing a slow and gradual leavening.

The leavening is carried out by putting the dough on a table, protecting it from sudden temperature changes and drafts which could be harmful and destroy a night’s work, a work which begins at 4 in the morning.

When the leavening is halfway, Gianni and his wife, divides the dough into bread-sized pieces and put them on shelves near the oven in order to let them be ready for the baking.

In order to obtain an an optimum bread, in addition to a certain manual ability, it pays to know about and use natural ingredients of prime quality. As Gianni told us: “Using first-rate flour makes a good bread and it’s easy to make one”. Since the dough is a living thing, the weather also influences his work. For instance, it’s easy to make bread in dry weather, while you have to vary the amount of yeast, water and the baking time when it’s humid. Gianni also told us that by adding chemical additives, the influence of the weather will disappear, but this is against his principles.

In addition to making delicious pizza and focaccia, the following two types of breads are made using the same dough:
- the paesane in three different shapes
- the miccone
07/10/2010
Agrilanga farm
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Vimeo

In order to arrive at the Agrilanga farm, my guide Filippo had to ask for directions from some of the locals since it was somewhat difficult to find. However, after having found the guesthouse, we were met by Massimo Trinchero, the man who’s responsible for raising their goats and making goat’s cheese. After a short walk we arrived at a building where one part is used for the dairy, the middle is used for milking the goats, while the rest houses the goats. By means of some plumbing, after having finished the milking of the goats, the milk is transferred to the dairy such that it can be turned into cheese more or less immediately.

Since a property of about 50 hectares surrounding the stable where the goats are residing, they can graze freely outside for about 9 months yearly, while they are fed locally grown hay for the remaining 3 months of the year. Since this is an organic farm, the cultivation of hay also has to follow certain rules. In addition to having access to first-class food, the goats are treated as well as possible since the quality of the milk depends on that they have a good life.

Being located in the southern part of Piemonte, the local climate is strongly influenced by the nearby sea leading to a normally abundant precipitation. This leads to that the meadows surrounding the farm are fertile and that they contain lots of aromatic herbs, which after having been eaten by the goats, will certainly influence the taste of their milk.

Cheeses, two of whose generic name is Robiola di Roccaverano, are made at the dairy of Agrilanga. In fact, six types of cheese are made:
- Fresh Robiola di Roccaverano PDO (Protected Designation of Origin)
- Mature Robiola di Roccaverano PDO
- Langhetta
- Fresh goat’s cheese
- Goat’s cheese with herbs
- Goat’s cheese with vegetable carbon
The Robiola di Roccaverano cheeses are known from before the Roman conquest of present Italy, and they have been described by the illustrious Roman author Pliny the elder. The name Robiola derives from the Latin word “robium” referring to the reddish surface of the cheese, while Roccaverano is the place from which the cheese originates. One of the rules which has to be followed states that the cheese has to contain at least 50% goat’s milk, while the rest can also be cow’s or sheep’s milk.

The taste of the cheeses vary with the seasons in accordance with what the goats are eating. In spring and early summer, the fragrances are dominated by fresh grass, cherry and hazel. At the end of summer, some of the goats will enter pregnancy and start producing less milk. However, their milk will contain more fat and the cheeses will be at their most fragrant.

Besides the Agrilanga farm, there is a consortium consisting of 19 small-scale producers making the Robiola di Roccaverano a product with many contributors.

After having founded this farm in the middle of the 90s, about 15 years later the owner had the great satisfaction of selling lots of his products in a place called Grasse in France being considered the fatherland of goat’s cheese. The cheeses from this farm are also exported to Germany.
06/10/2010
“Giachino Vini” farm and guesthouse “Rainè”
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I stayed at the guesthouse “Rainè” in autumn, a rather hectic period for the farmer Claudio Giachino and his family since the harvest, including hazel nuts from the hazel trees and grapes from the vines, takes place at this time of year.

Late in the evening we could watch Claudio working and processing the grapes after the harvest. The bunches of grapes justly picked can’t wait or else they will overheat due to fermentation, meaning that the wine farmer has to work fast. After having emptied the plastic boxes with the bunches of grapes into a container, a horizontal, rotating screw forces them to enter a tube such that they can be pumped into a bigger container. Then, their stems are removed before being compressed in a crusher and then transported to big steel containers for the fermentation.

The speed of the fermentation is decided by Mother Nature: thanks to the yeasts naturally occurring in the grapes, the must starts fermenting, the sugars contained in the pulp of the grapes start being transformed into alcohol, the tannins and the scents of the grape skins give off their characteristics to the must. A slow transformation takes place in the steel containers, while simultaneously characteristic smells starts spreading from the whole winery, smells which are often unknown to passersby.

After having fermented 20-25 days, the must is separated from the marc or pomace, that is the solid parts of grapes, is separated from the liquid parts. Thereafter, the must is transferred to a clean steel container where it is allowed to rest such that any solid parts will settle at the base of the tank. Besides, the marc is compressed in order to recover any must still residing within it. Finally, the remaining solid parts are transported to a distillery for making grappa.

This wine farm is producing the following types of wine:
- Dolcetto d’Alba
- Dolcetto d’Alba Rainè
- Nebbiolo d’Alba
In addition to cultivating vines, they are also growing hazel trees for their hazel nuts whose harvest is totally mechanized. The guest house located next to the farm has 5 apartments for rent, breakfast is included in the price, while dinner has to be paid separately.

Claudio told me that before he met his wife Elena, he worked in a factory. Since her parents were managing this wine farm, he decided to leave the factory and, instead, start working as a full-time farmer. He started wine-making in 2001.
06/10/2010
Wine farm Tenuta il Sogno
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In 2002, a young Norwegian couple, Frode Refstad and Eli Anne Langen, sold their apartment in Oslo and moved to Italy where they had bought a wine farm.

“Difficult to pay your expenses?”, I asked them. “Yes”, both of them said. “After having sold our apartment and paid the mortgage, we had very little money left, meaning that we had to have another great mortgage in order to buy the farm. We even needed economic support from our parents in order to realize our dream.” Another problem was speaking with the locals. Although Eli Anne had studied Italian at Språkskolen Ciao in Oslo, speaking Italian with someone who spoke in dialect was really difficult. Besides, almost nobody was able to speak English. Last but not least, the farm buildings were in bad repair, but the vines were thriving.

They are cultivating Barbiera, Nebbiolo and Freisa organically and they are producing three types of wine:
- Barbera d’Asti
- Vino Rosso Briccosoria
- Vino Rosso Nebbiolo
Organic cultivation makes the vines more autonomous than by using conventional cultivation, more resistant against diseases and more healthy. In order to fertilize the vines, they are using the remains after having pruned them and and after having harvested them, that is grapes not suitable for making wine, together with using organic fertilizers. Leaves and bunches of grapes infested with mildew, which thrives with increasing humidity, are treated with a mix of copper sulphate and sulphur, both of them approved for organic farming.

The grape harvest is done manually by Eli Anne and Frode with help from their friends from countries like Norway, Denmark and Australia.

The pruning is carried out in accordance with the lunar phases (maintaining ancient traditions) because the sap is located in the branches when the moon is waning, while it resides in the trunk and the roots when it’s waxing.

The vines were planted as far back as 1928, meaning a low quantity of grapes with excellent quality. Dead or dying vines are replaced by putting a fresh shoot from a healthy vine in the immediate vicinity into the ground, and leaving the rest to nature. After a period of 2-3 years, the branch is separated from its mother vine, having formed a root system in the meantime.

Winemaking of the grapes is carried out at the farm, manually if possible, by first crushing them, getting rid of stalks and leaves and letting them ferment in big steel containers. Letting the grapes in complete tranquillity, the sugars in the grapes are turned into alcohol by means of fermentation, while the grape skins give the resulting wine aroma and taste. Fermentation of the grapes require that they stay within a certain temperature range, meaning that temperature control is mandatory. Cleaning is also important, but not too much in order to avoid finishing off the good bacteria which carry out the fermentation.

The fermentation lasts 20-25 days depending on the harvest, the weather and how mature the grapes were when being harvested. Tests of the must are performed regularly in order to monitor the transformation from sugar to alcohol together with other properties. After having separated the wine from the marc (grape skins and various solids remaining after the fermentation), a specialist analyses the product and, after having certified its quality, the wine is poured into wooden barrels for a slow and valuable maturation. Then, the marc is transported to a distillery for production of grappa.

About 70% of the wines from Tenuta il Sogno is sold in Norway, while the rest is sold at the farm.
06/10/2010
Wine farm Guido Porro
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This wine farm dates from the beginning of the 20th century, being founded by the grandfather of the present owner and being family-owned ever since. A stable family history resting on his shoulders, lots of hard work and passion, a refined capacity obtained from learning from early in his life between rows of vines and tanks of wine has been a major part of the life of Guido Porro, like his father Giovanni, his grandfather Guido and his great-grandfather.

The cultivated property of the farm amounts to 7 hectares. Besides, they have 4 rooms for rent.

The vineyards of the Porro family are located in one of the best areas of the Barolo area for cultivating grapes because this plot of ground is lit by the sun all day due to that it is turned towards south south-west and being in a bowl well protected against the wind. The chalky ground doesn’t allow for an abundant cultivation of grapes, but their quality is indisputable. However, even a place as blessed as this one and cultivation of excellent vines, is not sufficient to make high quality wine. Hard and meticulous work, loving care of every vine and the soil are also required. This confirms that the quality of the wine we drink from bottles, originates from the vines and the soil.

Vines called Nebbiolo da Barolo, Barolo lazzairasco and Barolo S. Caterina are cultivated and the following wines are produced:
- Barbera d’Alba
- Dolcetto
- Nebbiolo
How do you know when the grapes are mature? Seems like there isn’t a clear answer to this, but this is normal for any cultivator of vines: the taste of the pulp and the consistency of the skin are the most important characteristics together with an analysis of the sugar content.

The winemaking is carried out in accordance with norms passed down the generations and using modern technology.

Their wines can be tasted and bought direct from the farm and from well-stocked shops in Italy, but the major part is exported to Germany, the Netherlands and the United States.

From the newly renovated and enlarged wine cellar, placed such that visitors have a spectacular view ranging from the vines directly below via hills covered with vineyards to distant mountains covered with snow. Just the moment for tasting splendid wines of the Porro family, enjoy the aroma of the wines and just consuming them very slowly.
06/10/2010
“Si Invernizzi”dairy
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Gorgonzola takes its name from a Lombardian village with the same name where it was first produced, but no Gorgonzola have been made there for the last 30 years.

The “Si Invernizzi”dairy, which is located in Piemonte in the vicinity of Milan, is producing two types of gorgonzola, a piquant one and a soft, uncooked one.

The gorgonzolas which are produced at this dairy have the following characteristics:
- piquant – the long time of maturation imparts compactness, an abundance of veins and an intense taste
- soft – a dense, creamy and very tasty cheese
Whole cow’s milk from nearby farms is freighted daily to the dairy. where it is poured into large tanks before being pasteurized and cooled. Then, a certain quantity of milk is poured into a large, open container and heated to about 30°C before adding rennet, an enzymic compound extracted mainly from calves’ stomachs, together with selected milk enzymes and a selection of fine moulds. The latter ingredient give the cheese its characteristic blue-green veins and its unmistakable taste.

When the curd is ready, that is when it has thickened to a certain degree, a worker uses a kind of grate with a handle, called a guitar, in order to cut up the curd into small pieces. Having finished this operation, the curd is transferred into a long, rectangular container already covered with a porous cloth covering the whole container. When the curd enters the tank, the liquid parts of the curd passes through the cloth and a diverse set of holes in the tank, while the fat parts are remaining. The remaining curd is collected manually by the workers and put into holed containers, permitting more of the liquid parts called the whey to be expelled. Then, lids are put on top of the containers, before turning them upside down a couple of times during the next 36-38 hours in order to get rid of more of the whey.

Having finished the above mentioned phase, salt is applied in order to both give taste to the cheese and get rid of more of the whey. Then, the cheeses are brought into rooms with controlled humidity and temperature.

Next, the cheeses are holed by means of a machine because the holes allow air to enter the cheeses such that the special mould, which was added to the curd, will grow and give the cheese its characteristic taste.

Thereafter, the soft gorgonzola cheese stays maturing for 2 months, while the piquant one has to mature for 3 months.

Finally, the cheeses are packaged using a characteristic aluminium foil embossed with the name of the dairy, identifying these cheeses as unique products.

Production of the cheeses are partly done manually, that is the operations which are done best manually, like transferring the curd into containers, turning them upside down, cleaning the cheeses and packaging are done by hand.

80% of the finished cheeses are sold in Italy, while the rest is exported.
05/10/2010