Help!! Port-soaked Cheddar is cracking!

[Al Lewis]

I have washed cheeses with straight cognac and it never created a problem.  Still wondering if the PH difference is the culprit.  Let's see, works with ale but not wine. Strange. Hope you find the answer.

[GoudaGirl13]

Hi Al!

Washing would be post-curd knit, consolidation, so the cheese would already be a solid mass. The outside rind is the only part touching the wine.

This process the one above) is done before salting curd chunks and packing into the mold for pressing, so it seems to be affecting the actual final knit on the curds, but only where the wine is...the outer layer  of the individual curds...

[Al Lewis]

I understand.  I did a Colby using merlot and didn't have the problem but I adjusted the PH in the wine first.

[Danbo]

It still looks good, but so did my first Port Cheddar where I just poured the Port in...