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This 12th century DOP cheese is famous throughout the world for its unique character and intense flavor. Made in the mountains of Serra da Estrela (also a national park), in the Beiras region, this traditional washed rind farmhouse cheese is described as the "king of Portuguese cheeses".
The Bordaleira ewes thrive on a diet of wild herbs, scrub, gorse blossoms and brambles, producing thick, luscious, aromatic milk. Serra da Estrela is handmade in small batches using wild thistle (Cynara cardunculus) to coagulate the milk. The curds are broken by hand instead of cut. It takes an average of three hours to make one cheese and only two or three are made per day. After the wheel is salted, it is then wrapped in cloth and aged in caves. 
It is available in two stages of ripeness, that correspond to two kinds of texture:"Amanteigado" (like butter) - this is when Queijo Serra da Estrela is younger, the rind is sticky and pungent and the interior is so creamy that it is almost spoonable; "Curado" (cured) - as it ages, the rind becomes harder and smoother with the interior becoming denser and sliceable. Either way, this is an incredible Portuguese treasure. It has a perfumed intensity and a sweet grassy taste that is fruity and mildly bitter. All that's needed is some fresh crusty bread and a bottle of wine. Perfect!
Mondegueiro is a deliciously herbaceous raw sheep's milk cheese from north-central Portugal. Traditionally, the soft, gooey and mild paste is scooped out of its leathery clothbound rind with pieces of hearty peasant bread. As the wheels age, their texture becomes harder and chewier. Mondegueiro is a smaller version of the Serra da Estrela, made by the same cheesemaker from the same herd of sheep. Mondegueiro makes a beautiful presentation for just a couple of people or as a part of a cheese selection for a larger group. Pair this cheese with spicier reds. Each wheel weighs approximately one pound.
Originating from the Trás-os-Montes region of Portugal, this sheep’s milk cheese is characterized by a cylindrical shape and a flat, even rind that's covered with paprika. Inside, the straw colored flesh has an oily texture and a soft, smooth flavor. One variety of Terrincho is cured in wooden barrels filled with rye to give it a distinctive rye taste.
The superb Flor de Cardo Tintus is a semi-soft sheep cheese with a fruity, wine like flavor. The outside of Tintus is mottled with red, white, beige and gray streaks on a burlap textured rind. This cheese is made from unpasteurized milk and coagulated with thistle flower. Produced in Setúbal region, south of Lisbon, comfortably embraced by the Sado river (with its dolphins) and Arrábida, its most precious treasures, which fortunately enjoy the status of protected areas. This happy coincidence has enabled Setúbal to be admitted to the exclusive and coveted Club of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World. This distinction has served to reinforce the quality of its fine sandy beaches and clear blue waters, offering superb conditions for water sports such as canoeing, sailing, windsurfing, water-skiing, angling and diving.
Queijo de Cabra Transmontana DOP is a Portuguese gourmet cheese. This cheese comes from the north-western part of Portugal and is made from the milk of the Serrana Negra goat. The milk is very rich in butterfat and protein.
After the Cabra Transmontano is formed, it is salted and allowed to age for a minimum of 60 days.
This lovely gourmet goat cheese is semi hard with a natural white rind with a firm, hard, slightly unctuous texture. Excellent for grating and as a table cheese.
Produced in Beira Litoral region, 200 km north of Lisbon, Rabaçal is a cheese weighing about 1 kg, with a white curd, most often served when fresh. You'll find Rabaçal cheeses made from goat's milk or a mixture of milk, but they're only derivatives - though sometimes honorable ones - of the real thing. The geographical area of production includes some areas in the villages of Penela, Alvaiázere, Ansião, Condeixa-a-Nova, Soure and Pombal.
This one is an aged goat wheel, its rind rubbed with olive oil and paprika, giving it a handsome, ruddy appearance. One of the cheeses that proves you don't have to be strong to be nuanced and delicious: fairly gentle, it's woodsy, rustic, and nutty, with a light smoky note from the paprika and a sweet tang at the end, fading into a clean finish. Pasteurized. It may also be found attractively packaged in a wooden crate.
This 12th century DOP cheese is famous throughout the world for its unique character and intense flavor. Made in the mountains of Serra da Estrela (also a national park), in the Beiras region, this traditional washed rind farmhouse cheese is described as the "king of Portuguese cheeses".
