Second prize winner at the 2016 Royal Winter Fair in the Variety Cheese – Firm category; Wildwood is a semi-soft, hand crafted alpine cheese similar to Appenzeller, produced in St. Mary’s Ontario from fresh unpasteurized cow milk. The milk contains 100% of its original composition when used for the cheese making process, which is very similar to how cheese has been made for centuries in the mountain dairies of the Swiss Alps.

Wildwood is stored in a high humidity cellar (comparable to a stalactite cave) and is treated frequently with water and salt which develops its natural, distinctive flavour. The cheese also gets treated with red wine yeast (a product from the wine making process). The nine month maturation process combined with the positive effect of the wine yeast give this cheese a wide spectrum of taste, aroma, and flavour. Wildwood does not only have an impressive zesty flavour but also a very rustic and appealing appearance. The aromatic rind gives the cheese a contrasting texture to the interior and yields typical aromas associated with washed rind cheeses.

Wildwood is rich and creamy on the palate with a nice balance of salt, tasting superb in sandwiches or on a cheese platter with fruits, charcuterie and bread. Unique both in appearance and taste, Wildwood pairs well with either a Riesling or Merlot.