From the Cheese Portraits series.

I found this beauty behind the counter at Downtown Cheese in Reading Terminal Market. The hay, stuck to the rind, caught my attention and the cheese paste tasted so wonderfully nutty, and herby too! Thankfully the cheesemonger was kind and made sure I lost none of the hay when she cut and wrapped my wedge; I couldn't wait to paint it.

"Named Vento d’Estate for a “summer wind,” the inspiration for this cheese came to Antonio and his wife Giuseppina one day as they were driving home from picking up a few wheels of cheese. Passing a tractor that was pulling hay, they were overcome with its aroma and stopped to ask the farmer if they could buy some. After much experimentation, they found a way to age Vento d’Estate in oak barrels under a blanket of hay, in such a way that it would, after five months of aging, exhibit the aromas of a healthy meadow that they sensed that day, or as they describe, of a “neverending plateau swept by balmy air.” - Culture Magazine

Vento d'Estate (VEN-to dess-TAH-tay) debuted less than 30 years ago and is an Italian pasteurized cow's milk cheese. It's made about an hour north of Venice, Italy and aged in the hay for a minimum of six months.

Origin: Italy

Availability: sold