Have you ever heard of Ubriaco Cheese (Drunken Cheese) or Italian Wine-Aged Cheese? It’s a unique type of aged cheese that gets its distinctive flavor and texture from being soaked in wine during the aging process. This special treatment, known as “drunkenness” in cheese-making lingo, gives the rind a dark, wine-colored hue and the interior paste a delightfully firm yet creamy consistency.
The origins of this boozy delicacy are said to date back to wartime Italy, when it was born from the resourcefulness and necessity of the people. It’s one of those culinary treasures that emerged from the happy accident of combining ingenuity with what was available. Drunken Cheese is a tasty example of Italian gastronomic heritage at its most creative and resilient.
The Italian Wine-Aged Cheese: A Flavorful Delight
At first glance, the Ubriaco Cheese looks just like any other cheese – same shape, size, and markings as the original. But take a closer look, and you’ll notice its unique characteristics. The rind takes on a distinct golden-yellow hue if the cheese was soaked in white grape pomace, or a deep, vibrant purple if it was red grape pomace.
But the real magic happens inside. The drunken cheese develops an incredibly soft, velvety texture and an aroma that’s simply intoxicating – a delightful blend of savory, piquant notes that tantalize the senses. One bite and you’re hooked – the flavor is downright addictive.
This specialty cheese is typically available starting in December, making it the perfect indulgence for holiday gatherings.
Serve it up as an appetizer with drinks, or use it to add a flavor punch to your favorite pasta or protein dishes. However you enjoy it, the drunken cheese is sure to be the life of the party.
The Story of Italian Wine-Aged Cheese
The method of getting cheese “drunk” supposedly originated during the retreat from Caporetto in the Treviso area on the left bank of the Piave River. To hide their homemade cheeses from the hungry Austro-Hungarians, locals covered them with grape pomace, considered a waste product and thus not subject to scrutiny. After all, eating spoiled, bad-tasting cheese was better than starving. After the danger passed, the “rags” were recovered, but by then the rinds had changed color to a dark purple hue and the texture had altered, giving the cheese the aromas of the must. This unusual aging process turned out to be quite delightful, with a distinctive flavor between spicy and fruity – a true delight for the palate. The practice continued even after the war ended.
Another version traces the treatment to a Treviso farmer who, unable to afford oil for rubbing the rinds, substituted grape must instead since oil was too expensive.
Over the years, from humble farmhouse origins, the Ubriaco cheese process evolved into a refined and sought-after treatment. Today, “Formaggio Ubriaco” is accompanied by its originating wine in a series of successful, high-quality gastronomic preparations.
Nowadays, the entire province of Treviso is involved in producing this typical cheese. Its identity derives from the particular aging and refinement of the wheels immersed in fresh, soft pomace. The local semi-cooked cheeses like PDO Asiago Pressato, Asiago d’Allevo, Montasio, and Latteria – as well as similar Treviso dairy varieties – undergo this process. They must have a minimum two-month aging period and not exhibit any defects like cracks, swelling, mold, or pests. Morphological and dimensional characteristics like diameter, heel, rind, and markings are evidently those typical of the original cheese. “INBRIAGO” marking on the heel is permitted for wheels specifically produced this way, or the original PDO and non-PDO markings may remain.
The Production Process of Ubriaco Cheese
To make Italian Wine-Aged Cheese, exceptional quality cheese wheels are selected, with a minimum aging of 60 days. However, even aged cheeses up to 24 months can be “drunken.” The chosen wheels are immersed in soft pomace, freshly drained after natural racking and not pressed, placing them separately so that the pomace surrounds them entirely, ensuring complete immersion.
All local Treviso pomaces can be used, including Clinto and Fragolino, as well as those from passito wines. The “drunkenization” process, which occurs in vats large enough for complete immersion of the wheels, requires the availability of fresh, just-racked pomace. The duration of immersion varies: for young cheeses, it’s 8 to 10 days, while for aged cheeses, it can be up to 30 days. A second immersion, separated from the first, is permitted, particularly beneficial for aged cheeses and passito grape pomaces. After “drunkenization,” the wheels are removed from the pomace, dried, cleaned, and further aged for a minimum of 15 to 30 days or more before being ready for consumption.
