CHEESE I
PIAVE DOP VECCHIO
Profile
Name: Piave DOP Vecchio
Age: 6+ Months
Country + Region: Italy, Veneto, Belluno
Milk Type: Cows
Pasteurised: Yes
Strength Of Cheese: 3
Style Of Cheese: Hard
Texture: 5
Discover
Piave is a hard, cooked DOP cheese made in the province of Belluno the northernmost part of the Veneto region in north-eastern Italy exclusively from the finest quality raw materials, with no colouring or preservatives.
It is distinguished by its flavour: sweet and intense, never spicy, with a full aroma reminiscent of Alpine herbs and flowers.
The production technique for Piave DOP cheese has been handed down from generation to generation in the Belluno area and its origins date back to the end of the 19th century, when the first mountain “turnarie” dairies in Italy were established.
Pairing
At The Deli Society, we think hard cheeses are both a staple on any cheese board, and a good match to pretty much any wine.
The hard texture stands up to the body of the wine nicely. At first both products come off quite ‘hard’ but the more you get to know them, you realise they’re actually quite mild in temperament.
ProductionPIAVE DOP cheese is made by adding specific milk enzymes, “lactic starter” and “serum starter”, to Belluno-produced milk. These enzymes are also produced on site from raw milk and processing whey respectively, and contain indigenous strains of enzymes, which are essential for giving the product its specific organoleptic properties. After coagulation, activated by the addition of rennet, the curd is cooked and shaped in moulds, then salted by soaking it in a solution of water and salt. Lastly, the cheese is ripened in temperature- and humidity-controlled storerooms. The ripening process varies depending on the type of cheese: from 20 to 60 days for Fresco, over two months for Mezzano, over 6 months for Vecchio, over 12 months for Vecchio Selezione Oro and over 18 months for Riserva. Each of these types can boast the protected designation of origin. The area in which the milk is collected and Piave DOP cheese is made is legally defined as exclusively the province of Belluno.
SHOP NOW
