Fort Denison Cheese Experience- The Best of Australia

Well, we are thrilled to be reporting back on the successful launch of our 'Best of Australia' Cheese & Wine experience.

This Australian Cheese & Wine Experience is a short course showcasing the best of Australia’s cheese
making talents alongside some great Australian wines. It is a fantastic introduction to the local and growing
boutique cheese industry.

Unbeknown to many, Sydney Harbour has a rich history in Australia’s milk and cheese industry being the location where cattle from England were off loaded from the First Fleet boats in 1788 onto the sandbank that is today famously known as Bennelong Point. Originally called Cattle Point, the cattle were held there in make shift enclosures in the area now home to the Opera House.

McIntosh & Bowman Cheesemongers & TE Catering are in association with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, bringing farmhouse Australian cheese back to Sydney Harbour.

Outcomes:
At the end of the experience you will:
• Have experienced 14 exceptional Australian Farmhouse cheeses
• Have experienced 4 premium Australian wines
• Be able to talk confidently about the different types and styles of cheese and the varieties tried
this afternoon.
• Have an understanding as to the background of cheese in general as well as specific to Australia
and how our local dairy industry has progressed over 220 years
• Have a better understanding of your own personal preference to various Cheese
• Understand basic pairing principals between cheese and wine.

Course Cost
The Australian Cheese & Wine Experience costs $130 inclusive of GST. This is an introductory offer for a limited time only.
An additional cost of $10 if participant would like to do the guided tour of the Martello Tower.
The ticket price is inclusive of transport to and from the island and a National Parks & Wildlife Service landing fee.
It is advisable to pre-book tours of Martello Tower as spaces can be sold out on the day.

Course Duration
The total time is 2.5 hours including transport. The course itself is 2 hours from 12:10 noon to 2:10 pm. If participants would like to do a National Parks and Wildlife Service tour they can stay on the island for a tour at 2:30pm with a duration of 25 minutes. A boat leaves at 3pm.

Transport
Participants are asked to arrive at Wharf 6 Circular Quay at 11:45am for a 12 noon departure on Matilda Ferries.

Cheeses of Chiapas- letter from fellow cheesemonger Carlos Yescas

Dear Cheese Aficionados.

How are you all?

I hope you are doing great and enjoying some nice summer cheeses during your many sunny picnics.
I'm here reporting on the cheese life in Mexico, as you have all wrote and asked.
I was in Chiapas last Monday and back on Tuesday after tasting 48 double-cream Quesos de Cuadro. It was a great experience, as I got to talk to all the producers, which included small family businesses and farm cooperatives. No cheese conglomerate there.

The experience started with my first trip to Chiapas. As you know, Chiapas is a very important place for me as is the only Mexican state with a sizable indigenous population that has not produced international indigenous migrants. There is still a lot of internal displacement of people due to the military intervention from back in the 1990s and the push from the para-military group. This, however, has made both the federal and state government to pay more attention to living conditions of Chiapanecos. For cheese producers this has meant an infusion of cash to modernize their facilities and ultimately to decide to grant a Denomination of Origin to the Queso de Cuadro.
Among Mexicans the yellow-foil wrapped cheese called "doble crema" is well known for its acidic taste. This cheese is used mostly in the south of the country to cook with, in Mexico city is known as a great way to stuff enchiladas, but little or nothing is known of its history, making, or of the producers involved in making it. Its real name is Queso de Cuadro and is produced by different cooperatives, farms and small family businesses.
Along "quesillo," "panela," "menonita," and "requeson" - Queso de Cuadro is among one of the most famous Mexican cheeses. Other mexican cheeses exist, such as "añejo," "de bola de ococingo," "enchilado,"
"fresco," and "cotija." But these are only eaten locally or found in Mexico city in one of the big Mercados like Sonora or Medellin. For the most part all Mexican cheeses are variations of well-tested European recipes, with some modifications for fat content and salt availability. Maybe the big exception is enchilado, which may resemble those cheeses from Portugal or the Balkans rubbed with paprika, but in the Mexican version it is rubbed with chilli powder.
The government of the state of Chiapas is now trying to better regulate the production of one of its best products, by granting a Collective Trademark to the Queso de Cuadro. This is the first step in the long process of awarding a Denomination of Origin (DO) to any product in Mexico. Currently, only Queso de Bola de Ocosingo has this distinction and the producers of Cotija are in a legal battle to be recognized as well.

Queso de Cuadro has many varieties, changing size, fat content, salt and acidity. However, amongst the various options all maintain a nice acidity, a very lactic smell and a sharp salty end. It is real nice cheese that can be eaten fresh (2 –3 days) during breakfast or matured (45 days) grated over enchiladas. It is mostly made with unpasteurized milk and turned with microbial rennet.
Tradition calls for unpasturized milk and the producers want to keep it this way. The Secretaria del Campo (Ministry of Agriculture) – my employer – also wants it this way, but the Ministry of Health and Walt-Mart wants it to be pasteurized. The debate is now on whether it’s possible to sell fresh cheese from unpasturized milk and the lawyers are saying no. Advocates are trying to change this rule and keep Queso de Cuadro as an unpasturized cheese.

On Tuesday, I was given the chance to talk to the producers and I addressed the issue of pasteurization. I obviously, want this cheese remain unpasturized, as it will open the way for other cheeses to enter the country in its original way. The Deputy Minister of Agriculture wasn’t happy with me taking a position but I had nothing to lose. Afterwards, during an interview with the local TV, I repeated my position and the Minister recognized that economic pressures were behind the push to pasteurize this cheese. I hope that this battle is well fought by others here in Mexico and I will continue speaking up about it.
The tasting was great. My approach was to not judge any cheese against each other, or even against a memory I had of this style of cheese. I instead tried every one with an open palate and made recommendations on how to improve each individual recipe. My biggest problem was the use of commercial salt, which gives most cheeses a metallic taste. I suggested changing salts to a better quality and in some cases adjusting recipes according to the amount of water expelled from the curd. The producers were receptive to my opinions, but some left angry because they felt I was being too harsh on their product. Others assured me that this would improve the overall quality of cheese produced in the state and only the best producers will remain. I also had issues with acidity and with those cheeses made with different milkings I found 8 excellent cheeses and will be recommending two as the standard for the others.

I plan to go back to Chiapas next summer and taste again all of the producers. But in the mean time, we will be approving guidelines based on the two I will be recommending.
Now, that I am back in DF, I am finishing the set up for my two cheese classes. I will be teaching at Endicott College / Mexico on Thursday, August 7 and Friday, August 8.

The classes will feature one Mexican goat cheese (that my mom has been selling for about a year), four imported cheeses (Brie, Raclette, Comte and Roquefort), two pates, Jamon Serrano and three wines. The classes are almost sold out, and I hope to start a real following for good cheese in Mexico.
Best, Carlos.