Grey mould on wine washed spanish cheese

[TAMARA]

Hi Cheesemakers,

I am experiementing with a wine soaked 'manchego' style cheese and removed it from the wine brine after 6 hours (was supposed to be 12 but seemed too long to me).

Cheese looks fantastic but is developing an odourless grey mould every day. I wash it off and spray with lite brine but it is back the next day.

I am going to wash again and re-soak as some of the wine redness is being rubbed away, but wonder... should I wax it or is it too early?

Thanks for any advice,

TAMARA

[hoeklijn]

Hi Tamara, I only have experience with Cabra al Vino, which is a Spanish goat cheese soaked in wine. But a couple of questions:
Do you have pictures of the mold? How old is the cheese, how is it stored, can it be a cross-contamination from white mold cheeses?

[TAMARA]

Thanks for your response...

I have washed off the mould but will post another if it grows again. These cheese is a week old and is stored in a wine fridge at 12c and about 90c humidity.

I think cross-contamination is unlikely as they are kept well apart. I have now washed, re-soaked and dry salted the surface in the hope that the salt will inhibit the mould growth... we shall see.

With you cabra al vino, did the wine penetrate the cheese and give a marbled effect or just colour the surface?

Thanks for your advice and assistance,

TAMARA

[hoeklijn]

I hope for you that the mold will not appear again, if so, try rubbing it with some dry salt.
My Cabra's have a closed texture, so the wine only colors the rind for a few mm, however the cheese picks up flavor and smell of the wine. I'm a few weeks from cutting one again, I'll post a picture then...

[Cloversmilker]

I've made 3 wine soaked cheeses now.  The first has nearly disappeared into the maws of the local cheese eaters and the last two are just one week old now.  The first one was utterly delicious, but a little salty as I had used a tablespoon of salt for each gallon of milk.  It was soaked 24 hours, out for 12, and back for a second 24 hour soak.  The wine color was only skin deep; it did not permeate the cheese.  It added a slight fruity aroma and subtle flavor.  I decreased the salt to slightly over 1/2 tablespoon per gallon of milk for the last two cheeses.  These have a little mold showing up on the rind, so I am rubbing with salt.  It seemed to me that the soaking wine pulled some salt from the cheese; next time I'll increase the salt to about 3/4 tablespoon per gallon.

[TAMARA]

Hi there and thanks for your comments.

I suspected that the wine would also pull some salt from the cheese so I added a little salt to the port that i soaked the cheese in, but given the apparent need to keep rubbing/brining the cheese to keep the mold away, perhaps it might get over-salted over the process... time will tell!

The cheeses are back in the fridge at 12c and 90% humidity and and the mold seems to being behaving for how ie staying away 

Photo to follow

TAMARA

[smilingcalico]

I have soaked goudas for up to 2 weeks. Lots of mold development during drying and ageing. I don't worry about it, just brush it back by hand. As long as the surface is well knit, interior molding is not an issue. See the dark cheese in the picture? That's 2 months of ageing, rubbing mold in/off weekly by hand. If followed by a quick hand rub of olive oil, the color will really pop like garnet.

[MacGruff]

Wow! Beautiful looking wheels!

[smilingcalico]

Thanks, MacGruff. Unfortunately that pic got corrupted so it had to be cropped to save what remained. It was one of my favorites. Those are all natural rind, just dry brushed, not even washed yet if memory serves. Look forward to more posts of camembert and tallegio style, as well as a Swiss-Italian mountain style as I've got a new dairy I'm working for, Nicasio Valley Cheese Company!

[TAMARA]

Finally have photos of my 'manchego al porto'. The grey mould is gone, some white has come back but i've been watching the humidity and it seems to be better. Any ideas how long it should age before we taste it? I was thinking about 6 weeks...

TAMARA

[hoeklijn]

wow, that's a beauty ! Cheese for you!

[DeejayDebi]

anywhere from 3 months to 3 years! I prefer it at least 1 year old but I can say I have a 6 year old quarter wheel that is amazing. I smoked it a few weeks ago and it was incredable.

[smilingcalico]

Yes, a beauty indeed, a cheese for your great work! Wow, 6 years! Now that's patience! Incredible!

[DeejayDebi]

No not patients just made a lot of cheese!

[hoeklijn]

Hi Tamara, like I promised, a picture of my Cabra al Vino. Texture not entirely closed but with small eyes. Tastes very well, goat with a hint of red wine, smell of wine is more distinct than the taste of wine.