Bringing Home the Dunbarton Gold

(Photos by Cheryl-Anne Millsap)

Making my way through Midwest airports on my way back home to Washington State, I took good care of the big hunk of Wisconsin cheese wrapped in French cheese paper and tucked into my backpack.

The wedge of Dunbarton Gold was purchased after an afternoon tasting Wisconsin Artisan Cheeses at Schoolhouse Artisan Cheese in Egg Harbor Wisconsin, a picturesque town on the historic Door Peninsula.

Head cheesemonger Peter Kordon and operations manager and chocolatier Kathy McCarthy opened a bottle of Michel Picard 2009 Vouvray (we asked for one wine that would work with the cheeses they’d selected for us) and then brought out four delicious samples. The Dunbarton Gold was served drizzled with honey and dried Door County Montmorencey cherries. It had me at first bite.

Made by fourth-generation Wisconsin cheesemaker Chris Roelli, Dunbarton Gold is a mild cheddar made from the milk of grass-fed small-herd Wisconsin cows. It has just a whisper of blue and is cave-cured. And it is delicious.

Schoolhouse Artisan Cheese opened the Egg Harbor location in late 2011. The big display case is filled with fine handmade Wisconsin cheeses handmade by area cheese masters (Wisconsin is the only state that requires rigorous exams to earn the status.)

Oh, sure. I picked up a big bag of cheese curds at the airport. That’s what you do. But I can’t wait for a quiet evening at home so I can bring out the Gold and pass it around.