CALIFORNIA
On the California Cheese Trail, looking out over Tomales Bay
Previous page: Nicasio Valley Cheese Company’s factory; Nicasio Valley Cheese Company’s tomino cheese in the ageing room
ESSENTIALS The century-old ranch, grazed by around 450 cattle,
is located a few minutes down the road. The shop where they sell their produce is small, backed by a huge window through which visitors can watch the cheesemaking process. I work my way through nine tasting samples, laid
out on a long wooden table. They include Locarno, a thick, velvety brie; snow-white Foggy Morning, a fromage blanc-type cheese; and Nicasio Reserve, a Swiss mountain–style cheese, aged for 150 days yet pale as whipped butter, that’s nutty with notes of dried apricot. Nicasio Valley Cheese Company’s story speaks of
another reason this area has such a rich variety of delicious cheeses: immigration. Just as San Francisco’s culinary landscape has been knitted together by many different nationalities and cultures, so the North Bay’s cheesemaking is enriched by global flavours and influences. At Joe Matos Cheese Factory, in Santa Rosa, Sonoma, Joe and Mary Matos make semi-hard St Jorge cheese using a recipe from their native island, São Jorge, in Portugal’s Azores archipelago. Valley Ford Cheese and Creamery, meanwhile, specialises in Swiss-Italian cheeses made from Jersey cow milk. There’s a palpable entrepreneurial spirit here, too.
As with fine wines, making superior cheese requires an optimal blend of terroir, science and luck, combined with a stubborn refusal to give up.
Maternal bond At Ramini Mozzarella, nap time is over, at least for now. Audrey gently rouses the dozing calves to reunite them with their mothers, who’ve been keeping watch from the next pen. Several other water buffalo — including
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a female with a newborn calf — graze pastures in the valley below. Audrey started the business in 2008 with her
husband Craig, who died in 2015. It was “his baby”, she admits, adding that it was her love for the animals that kept her going. That and pure adrenalin, perhaps. It vibrates from her as she flits between the buffalo pen and the tin-roofed milking barn, tidying things away and making sure her animals are relaxed. The mothers are only separated from the calves for milking once a day, and Audrey believes they’re happier — and produce better milk — because of the closeness they’re able to maintain. What began with five buffalo is now a herd of 66. “It
was a crazy idea,” says Audrey. “But then I just fell in love with these guys.” Shirley (named after the singer Shirley Manson, of the band Garbage; all the buffalo are named after musicians) trots up behind us and gently nudges at Audrey’s hip. She crouches for a quick cuddle, tickling Shirley’s snout with her ash-blonde hair. The adoration is clearly mutual, and Audrey happily
admits she loves her animals far more than the cheesemaking process. Still, the end product is delicious — and there’s high demand for it in restaurants across the region. As I leave the farm, the sky is streaked with a
pale, honey-hued light, deepening to a sunset the colour of peaches. I skim past velvety blond hillsides dotted with cypress trees, a chilly Pacific breeze drifting through the car’s open window. The air feels almost crunchy with salt, with a slight sourness from the mingled scents of marshland and pine. Maybe it’s all the cheese I’ve eaten, but I swear I can taste the terroir.
GETTING THERE Airlines serving San Francisco from the UK include United Airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic from Heathrow, and Norwegian from Gatwick. KLM flies from Manchester, Newcastle and Edinburgh via Amsterdam.
united.com
ba.com
virgin-atlantic.com
norwegian.com
klm.com
WHERE TO STAY Doubles at Hotel Petaluma from £80 a night, B&B. hotelpetaluma. com
HOW TO DO IT America As You Like It has a seven- night Northern California’s Wine Country and Coast fly-drive from £1,032 per person, including flights, accommodation and car hire. americaasyoulike
it.com
MORE INFO California Cheese Trail:
cheesetrail.org visitcalifornia.com
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