Once upon a time, Brie and Kiri, two lucky cheesemongers from our shop, traveled to the cheese world’s largest festival in Bra, Italy. There, they visited Giorgio Cravero, an affinatore who ages this Parmigiano Reggiano, and visited his cellars filled with five thousand wheels of the good stuff. They returned to Salem with hearts in their eyes, either for his cheese or the charming Giorgio - probably both.

The Cravero family has been carefully selecting and aging Parmigiano since the mid-1800s, making Giorgio the fifth generation to carry on the family business. He chooses his wheels from two cheesemakers, one of whom is Massimo Libra, who makes just seven wheels per day of top quality Parmigiano – he is one of only thirty makers to receive the Prodotto di Montagna stamp on his cheese. 

Giorgio is very particular when it comes to choosing wheels for his aging cellar. He wants his Parmigiano Reggiano to not just be used as a pasta topping, but also as a cheese that is always on the table, waiting for a hungry diner to break off a chunk. For this purpose, he chooses wheels that will have a softer, creamier texture than you might usually find in a Parmigiano Reggiano after two years of aging. This enticing texture, especially lovely at room temperature, and the flavors of pecans, cooked pasta, grapes, and butterscotch make this a cheese you really, really want to break off by the large hunk and pop into your mouth. Oh, and Giorgio says prosecco is the drink to enjoy with Parmigiano Reggiano, so make Giorgio proud and have a glass of bubbly in hand.