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The Breadth and Depth of American Cheddars

A cheese counter manager determined to meet those needs without leaving America’s shores will have no difficulty. Cheddar is an important product in all of America’s dairy states, and although most of what’s produced is industrial and unremarkable, quality-focused cheddar producers persist and merit attention.

In conversations with retailers around the country, one name surfaces repeatedly: Grafton Village. This Vermont cheesemaker makes cheddars ranging from one to four years old, using purchased milk from Jersey cows. “It’s the sweetest, most complex American cheddar we have, says cheese authority Steve Jenkins of New York City’s Fairway Markets. “I can’t think of anything that can hold a candle to Grafton.

Along with Shelburne Farms, a Vermont producer of raw-milk farmstead cheddars, Grafton also gets the nod at Zingerman’s, the Ann Arbor, Mich., retailer. Carlos Souffant, cheese specialist, says Zingerman’s differentiates itself by selectively purchasing whole batches of Grafton cheese—hundreds of pounds at a time—that become its exclusive reserve.

Aging in a Cheesecloth Wrap
Another cheese that gets multiple mentions is the new Fiscalini bandaged cheddar from California, made by Mariano Gonzalez, the former cheesemaker at Shelburne Farms. While most domestic cheddars are immediately plastic-wrapped and aged in that packaging, Gonzalez is following the traditional English farmhouse method and aging his cheese in a cheesecloth wrap.

Historically, the wrap’s purpose was to protect the cheese from drying, explains Gonzalez, but eventually cheesemakers discovered that beneficial, flavor-inducing molds grew on the surface of cloth-wrapped cheeses. “The cheese develops certain flavor profiles that do not happen in plastic-wrapped cheddar, he says. “You get more complex flavor with the bandage. Currently, the Fiscalini cheddar is aged about 14 months before release, but Gonzalez’ goal is a two-year-old cheddar.

Several retailers agree that the Fiscalini is about as close as American cheddar gets to the creamy texture and long-lasting flavor of an English farmhouse cheddar.

“We’re loving Fiscalini, says Lisa Bruzzone of The Cheese Board in Berkeley, Calif. “It has a nice fruitiness to it. To prepare the large wheels for the cheese counter, the staff cuts them in half, then cuts one half in half again. They remove the cheesecloth from one of those quarters, cut that quarter in half, and wrap those two large chunks for the cut-to-order cheese case. The other pieces remain in cheesecloth so the cheese can breathe, with wrap placed against the cut sides.

Bruzzone and her colleagues are also enthusiastic about some of the aged cheddars from Wisconsin. “They’re no-name block cheddars, but they’re extremely aged, and they’re amazing for the price point, she says. The Wisconsin aged cheddars range from four to seven years old, and are loosely wrapped in Cryovac, then packed in cardboard boxes. “They age perfectly like that, says Bruzzone.

But even vacuum-sealed cheddars such as those from Grafton continue to change with time. Made in 40-pound blocks, wrapped, and put away for up to four years, Grafton “gets a little stronger and sharper each year, says Cheesemaker Scott Fletcher. The three-year-old Grafton Gold and four-year-old Grafton Four Star are his favorites.

More Piquant with Age
Even unsophisticated tasters recognize that cheddars grow more piquant with age. Youthful ones are creamy, mild and sliceable. As they mature, they become more crumbly, intense and tangy, thanks to the ongoing work of the bacterial culture. The best cheddars, both cheesemakers and merchants say, are not simply sharp but complex.

“Some people ask for the sharpest cheddar in the house, says Zingerman’s Souffant. “We explain that our cheddars have more of a balanced flavor. Sharpness is a one-dimensional flavor that burns. The cheddars we sell have more than just sharpness. Bruzzone looks for “a little of that crunchy thing, crystallization, but I don’t want it to be too dry. I tend to like those that, once they hit the tongue, have a smooth, almost creamy quality about them.

At the four New Seasons Markets in Portland, Oreg., foodservice merchandiser Eric Rose stocks the hometown favorite—Tillamook—as well as Grafton Village, the two-year-old Widmer cheddar from Wisconsin, and several of the Bravo Farms cheddars from California, including the chipotle cheddar. The latter “is good looking, with a nice bite to it, says Rose. “Some cook with it; some eat it. It has been very popular for nachos, enchiladas and things of that nature.

Mac and Cheese with Great Cheddar
Although customers looking for a cooking cheddar will reach for the mild Tillamook, Rose preaches that better cheese will make a big difference. “Macaroni and cheese made with great cheddar is fabulous, he says. At his establishment and others with deli operations, cheddar sales benefit from cross-merchandising—using a branded cheddar on the sandwiches and in the deli’s macaroni and cheese, for example.

Retailers also like the low maintenance involved in American cheddars that are rindless or waxed. The waxed blocks need no attention, and even the rindless ones rarely mold, says John Ferrara, cheese counter supervisor at the Brattleboro Food Co-op, Brattleboro, Vt. “If they do, it’s just surface mold and it can be scraped right off and rewrapped, says Ferrara. Like others, he offers waxed cheddars for customers on the run, but prefers to buy unwaxed cheddars in large blocks and cut them to order. “If you have the capacity to buy in bulk, you can service a variety of customer needs, he adds.

Bruzzone says The Cheese Board does almost no business in prepacked cheese. “The supermarket gets the customer who feels that prepacked cheese is more sanitary, she says. “At our store, people come in for that experience of tasting and having us tell them about the cheeses—or them telling us about cheese. It goes both ways.

Janet Fletcher is a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle and author of The Cheese Board.