Maggie’s Round (Cricket Creek Farm, Williamstown, Massachusetts)

The Sabot family bought one of the region’s oldest active dairy farms in 2001, and when Jason DeMay and Amy Jeschawitz took over as cheesemakers they added their own herd of Brown Swiss to the farm’s Jersey’s. This is an unpasteurized semi-hard cheese weighing 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) and aged four months to give a supple, buttery, rich texture with a mellow nutty flavour. The crust has beautiful striated sides with woven patterns from the moulds the curds are put into prior to draining and pressing. This is in the alpine or even Manchego style, and as the natural crust forms, moulds grow in the grooves making a very decorative pattern. I would suggest a lighter red wine with clean Pinot fruit and soft tannins.