Queso de la Serena and López de Heredia Rioja

by
Chris Munsey

Who says old school, traditional food can't be sexy? This is certainly not the case for Queso de la Serena and the wine from Lopez de Heredia. Let's talk about tradition for a moment; La Serena has been produced in southwestern Spain since the Moors ruled the Iberian Peninsula. A unique "torta" or cake-style cheese unique to Extremadura and Portugal, La Serena and its brethren can be traced back to Sephardic Jewish cheesemaking traditions. Made from the raw milk of Merino sheep mixed with wild thistle rennet, this cheese has a sour, fruity flavor, a texture reminiscent of crème brûlée and a long, intensely animal flavor, slightly bitter on the finish. A classic way of serving this gooey, unctuous delicacy is to slice the leathery top off and spoon the liquidy middle onto sliced bread. I must admit this method of consumption feels a little naughty, like playing with one's food.

The wines of López de Heredia are equally steeped in tradition. Established 125 years ago, the original López Family who still own the business have changed almost nothing concerning their winemaking technique: using strictly grapes from their own vineyard, a lengthy aging in French oak, only natural yeast strains and no filtration at bottling. The result as demonstrated in their Via Cubillo Crianza 2002, a wine displaying a wonderful clarity of flavor, with a core of fresh fruit and a light ethereal texture belying its 6 long years of conditioning.

Normally, I would consider a zippy, acidic white to match with a cheese of this pungence, perhaps an Albarino or a Grüner Veltliner, but I found this original pairing with an older Rioja to be a surprisingly satisfying combination. The underlying factor which makes this wine stand up well to the la Serena is its vibrant acidity, lancing through the intense slurpy texture of the cheese and refreshing the palate. What makes this pairing exciting and exquisite, however, is how the fruit in the wine melds with the sharp lanolin-tinged flavor of the cheese, producing a remarkable synthesis of rich nutty flavors that dance on the tongue.

Order this wine online at Astor Wines & Spirits.