OUR CAVE IN CENTRAL ITALY
in the central part of Italy where the mountains are made with a special material very suitable to be excavated, people used natural caves and grottos as their cellars to preserve and ripen their cheeses.
The particular environment of the cave, its special humidity and temperature, contribute to create the perfect conditions to ripen perfectly the cheese.
in these particular places in the area of Valentano where Caseificio Spadi Enzo owns its natural cave, time has stopped and old traditions still survive.
Valentano is an ancient village in which still grandmas prepare lunch making her homemade pasta with bolognese, amatriciana or carbonara sauce, red wine is permanently on the table for the family, friends and strangers to welcome, and olive oil has a old artesan flavour...
Caseificio Spadi Enzo is proud to take over and preserve those old italian traditions having local people of Valentano as their workers and giving them the opportunity to express their artesanal skills by ripening its excellent cheese in various ways, creating a variety of flavours and tastes that the final consumer will greatly enjoy.
THE SECRETS OF OUR "AFFINEUR"
Ripening cheese is not something u can learn in a day, not even in a year, it takes a lot of experience and knowledge of the cheese and its "behaviours" in various conditions and environments.
a little change of temperature and humidity could determine lots of consequences in the taste of the cheese, on the elasticity of the rind and in the inside that could be attacked by moulds or bacterias.
That's why
Caseificio Spadi Enzo can proudly guarantees the final consumer by putting at His service greatly experienced "affineurs" who can obtain the best conditions and tastes from the cheese.
Here are our best products that are seasoned in our cave:
-
IL NOCETTO: this cheese made out of sheep’s milk rests for a minimum of 90 days in our grottos covered with walnut leaves from top to bottom that gives the cheese its typical aroma and gentle flavor. (Shelf life: 150 days)
-
IL GROTTA: In some particular parts of central Italy as the "alta maremma" zone of Tuscany and Lazio, in the areas of Valentano, Pitigliano, Tuscia, Sorano, where the mountains are made of tufa, people had the tradition to store their food in natural caves. the cave has a humidity that gives to the cheeses a particular taste and a particular softness even if it's seasoned for long time. Caves have the humidity that defines cheeses typical taste and allows it to stay soft when matured for a long period of time. Our company owns a cave in the village of Valentano and we are proud to give another spin of life to old Italian traditions. (Maturation period: 120 days minimum, shelf life: 150 days)
-
IL CENERINO: Cenerino is a pecorino cheese matured under the ashes. It is a medieval way to mature the cheese and the sterility of the ash ensures cheese’s genuinity.
-
IL PAGLIA E FIENO: This is a pecorino cheese seasoned in hay as the old countrymen used to make it. The hay ensures that the moisture will stay inside the cheese, thus preventing it from drying out and allowing longer maturation period. (Maturation period: a minimum of 90 days, shelf life: 150 days)
-
IL GIGANTE: This delicacy is matured in our Valentano cave for longer than other cheeses (at least 160 days). Il gigante cheese is bigger than other pecorinos with one wheel coming up to around 10 kg. When you will cut it and reach the very center of the wheel you will realize that the heart of this cheese is the best pecorino you have ever tasted!
-
IL VINACCIA: Here in Tuscany the majority of people have got cultivated grape fields (along with olive trees plantations that are very common in the Tuscan countryside). It is true that Tuscany is almost a synonym to red wine and olive oil. The exploitation of all Mother Nature given resources to the last drop by Tuscan countrymen is a good tradition around here. Therefore it wasn’t long before the idea of using the grapes after the production of wine came to the minds of Tuscan entrepreneurs. The left-over grapes are put in "rovere" (that would be oak) barrels along with cheeses for maturation. After few weeks the cheese would take up the typical wine taste and is then prepared for further maturation.
In our province we have the production sites of the world famous "morellino di scansano" red wine. Wine pecorino is a delightful combination of excellent pecorino cheese that we produce with a hint of the world-renowned red wine. (Shelf life 150 days)