Mountain Trentingrana

Trentino’s first grana cheeses were made in 1925 by Michele Marchesi at the cooperative dairy in the small town of Rumo in the Non Valley, Trentino. Originally from there, Marchesi had been working in Mirandola, in the province of Mantua, where he learned how to make grana. The cheesemaking style spread quickly: by 1934 there were 12 dairies in the Non Valley making grana, and 40 years later, in 1973, the Trentingrana denomination was established, along with a consortium that united all the grana dairies in Trentino.
The technique is similar to that used for Grana Padano and Parmigiano. The mountain-pasture milk from two milkings, once naturally skimmed, is transferred to copper cauldrons in the shape of upturned bells. Each cauldron holds enough milk to make two forms of cheese. The whey starter from the previous day’s cheesemaking is added to the cauldron. Then, once the milk has been heated to 31-33°C, calf rennet is added for coagulation. After 10 to 13 minutes, the curd is broken using a whisk known as a spino, then cooked again, while stirring, until it reaches 53-55°C. The curds in the bottom of the cauldron are left to rest for around an hour while they drain and firm up. Then the cheesemaker, using a wooden paddle and a cloth, lifts the curd out of the cauldron, places it in another linen or cotton cloth and cuts it into two equal parts (this phase is known as gemellatura, “twinning”). The two masses are then transferred to molds set on a wooden board, in which they are lightly pressed. The forms are brined for 20 to 24 days before being aged. After 9 months, if free from defects, the cheese can be sold, but the forms are branded on their flat sides only after 18 months.
What distinguishes the mountain version of Trentingrana is the raw material, in other words, the milk. The cows (of various breeds, including Bruna, Friesian, Pezzata Rossa, Grigio Alpina, Rendena, Pinzgau and their crossbreeds) are brought to the mountain pastures in the summer, and during this season return to the cowshed only for milking. As well as grass, their diet includes a small supplement of non-GM cereals.
The result is a cheese with complex fragrances and flavors, significantly different from the cheeses made further down in the valley. Herbaceous notes dominate, with hints of caramel and a gentle astringency.

Season

Available all year round