Our newest cheese, Sartori’s BellaVitano, is a local cheese, but it traces its heritage all the way back to Asiago, Italy. We’ve carried Sartori’s award-winning SarVecchio parmesan and asiago cheeses for quite some time now. During a recent demo, Sartori’s Jack Anderson sampled these two familiar (but extraordinary!) cheeses. Jack also tempted us with a new, mysterious cheese called “BellaVitano.”

BellaVitano is an aged cheese soaked in various intriguing liquids like merlot, balsamic vinegar or raspberry lambic beer. Our customers couldn’t resist—and neither could cheese buyer Jason. By the end of the demo, Jason had decided to bring in the top customer favorites, Merlot and Balsamic BellaVitano.

Aside from the dominant flavor—be it Merlot or Balsamic—BellaVitano’s flavor is closest to an aged, premium Parmesan, but it’s oh so much more complex than that!

BellaVitano is smooth on the palate and rich like a full-flavored cheddar. Plus, the cheese harbors tiny salty-sweet crystals, typically found in aged Goudas, that explode on your tastebuds and provide just enough textural interest to tempt you into taking that next bite. BellaVitano is smooth, creamy, rich, nutty, salty-sweet, even caramely, and GOOD.

Even better, BellaVitano melts well. Imagine: Merlot Mac n’ Cheese. Or, a roasted vegetable pizza with a little grated Balsamic BellaVitano.

Sartori recommends serving Merlot Bellavitano with toasted walnuts & prosciutto or fresh fennel & dried figs. For the dessert course, savor it with a little semi-sweet chocolate. Not surprisingly, Merlot Bellavitano pairs well with merlot. But, try it, too, with Hefeweizen beer. As for Balsamic Bellavitano, Sartori suggests serving it with quince paste and a German pilsner, red ale or Prosecco.

Sartori is a third generation, family-owned company. Early last century, Paul Sartori emigrated to the United States from Asiago, Italy. He settled in Wisconsin where he found the temperate climate and limestone-rich soils— terroir—equal to the premiere cheese making regions of Italy. He began making cheese in Plymouth, Wisconsin in 1939. To this day, Sartori continues to source its milk solely from local Wisconsin family farms.