When we realized that our cheese club was about to run out, Bob and I decided to do another year of it. We love our wine and cheese dinners each month and really, we like supporting our local cheese shop. This month was the first in the new subscription and we had a lovely Italian theme.

First up, and the clear winner this month was Brunet, an Italian goat cheese. I love goat cheeses, but I’m a little wary of really soft runny cheeses. This one was both super soft and a flavorful, but not pungent, goat. So how good was it? We almost ate the wheel. This cheese was salty and had a definite goat milk flavor, but it wasn’t strong or in your face. It paired well with the beer bread I made and my favorite blackberry jam.

Next up was the Parmigiano Reggiano. This was the real stuff, the stuff I don’t usually get because a nice Pecorino works just as well in most cooked dishes (at way less money). But to eat, or to use on a fresh salad … well, the real stuff is amazing.

You can tell real Parmigiano by the rind. The needle marks and stamp imprinted into the rind to indicate the producer of each wheel. I can’t wait to make risotto this week, and maybe a nice salad to go with this cheese.

We’ve had the Toma before, but this Italian style cheese from a California dairy is about as perfect as you get. It is a solid cheese (not soft and runny) but it has the smoothest, creamiest texture that melts in your mouth. This is one I grab for lunch when I know it’s going to be busy.

While we were at the cheese shop we picked up a strong cheese for Bob. As he described it as having “some hair on it.” The Tunworth is what might be referred to as a stinky cheese. It has a strong taste that I like, but can only eat a little of. Bob, on the other hand, can eat a bunch of it.

To our little plate we added some of the Midnight Moon that I love and another soft goat called Kunik. We picked these up a few weeks ago and decided to use them up. Combine some really good cheese with a glass of wine and some homemade bread and we have one of my favorite dinners.