Through our Special Delivery program, we bring in small-batch, artisan cheeses a couple of times a month. We bring in a limited amount of these amazing cheeses and sell them at a crazy-good price. When they’re gone, they’re gone, but not to worry, there’ll be something else on the way. Be sure to stop by our cheese counters to find out what Special Delivery we’ve received lately.
This month’s Special Delivery cheese is from Ancient Heritage Dairy in Portland, Oregon. The creamery takes its inspiration from centuries of artisanal cheese-making in France, Italy, and Spain. The father and son team of Paul and Hank Obringer craft award-winning cheese that exemplifies time-honored European methods while showcasing the finest of Oregon’s organic and sustainable food heritage.
At the core, Ancient Heritage is a sheep’s milk creamery. The high butterfat content in sheep’s milk is responsible for creating the complex flavors and texture in their aged cheeses. When soft and young, their sheep’s milk cheese exhibits the flavors of sweet butter and fresh grass with a luscious creamy texture. Upon aging the sweet butter flavor heats up and transforms into the essence of rich brown butter, caramel, butterscotch, and toasted hazelnuts.
Ancient Heritage is Portland’s first urban creamery in decades and is paying tribute to the previous tenants of their building, Weatherly Creamery.
This month’s Special Delivery cheese is Ancient Heritage Willow Creek, a firm aged cheese washed in red wine. The flavors lean to earthy and savory with notes of wild mushrooms, with a fruity edge and a slightly fermented finish. You can recognize this beautiful cheese by the grape leaf atop every wheel.