Råblå
An organic, raw blue cheese made in two varieties, one of cow’s milk and the other is a blend with cow’s and goat’s milk. The former is the most common. About two kilos. Grindal is a farm dairy, so the cheese is hand made and cellar matured. Flavour is strong. Stats out sweet and mild, then the flavour just accumulates. A favourite of mine. Grindal ysteri.
To drink: A Pineau des Charantes will pair well with Råblå as will Sauternes.
Blåkoll
The starting point is the same as Råblå so they are born twins, but after an initial while in the maturing room what is destined to become Blåkoll is removed and further matured at a cooler temperature for about a year which is at least four months longer than for Råblå. A suitable amount of sweetness and nuttiness, firm and crumbly texture. Made during winter and always come as a limited edition. Flavour is strong.
To drink: A Pineau des Charantes will pair well as will Sauternes.
Hitra blå
Blue cheese from raw cow’s milk. Strong flavour with a distinct acidity. Hitra gårdsmat.
To drink: A Tawny, or what about Allegrini Recioto della Valpolicella Classico? Wonderful wine.
Blå Kjerringøy
Northern Norway, just north of Bodø where Knut Hamsun used to live and wrote some of his famous novels.
Blå Kjerringøy is a blue cheese made from raw cow’s milk. Very farmstead. Pale yellow paste with only a few blue veins. Wonderful dark and somewhat sticky rind. Fine balanced taste where the salt is very well integrated. Kjerringøy gård.
To drink: A German white, Kabinett quality. If red is the only thing, try Italian Amarone.
Fønix
Blue cheese made of raw, organic cow’s milk at Norway’s first urban small scale dairy. Strong flavour and perhaps somewhat advanced for some. Clearly defines blue veins, otherwise moderately moulded. Crumbly texture, but creamy once you take a bite. Buttery flavour and some sweetness. If you are sensitive to it; you may find a hint of bitterness at the end. Matured for three months. Stavanger ysteri.
To drink: An opulent cheese cries for a sweet wine. That could be a SGN (Sélection de grains nobles) from Alsace, or Bru-Baché La Quintessence Jurançon from the departement of Pyrénées-Atlantiques in south west France, for example.
Just for the record; blå means blue.