Asiago D'allevo (150 Days)

Asiago d’Allevo comes from the high Asiago plateau in the foothills of the Veneto Alps, where cheesemaking goes back more than a thousand years. Between the 10th and 15th centuries, the plateau’s farmers kept mainly sheep and made a savory sheep’s milk cheese called “Pegorin.” Over the centuries, cow’s milk took its place, and by the 18th and 19th centuries the aged style known as d’Allevo had taken shape. “D’allevo” means “raised” or “brought up,” a nod to the patient aging that sets it apart from the younger, milder Asiago Pressato. The cheese earned Protected Designation of Origin (DOP) status in 1996. It may only be made and aged in a defined area covering the provinces of Vicenza and Trento and parts of Padua and Treviso, from the valley meadows up to the Alpine pastures. Cheesemakers blend whole and partly skimmed cow’s milk, warm it gently, and press the curd into large wheels that mature in the cellars of the region. At about 150 days, this wheel falls into the Mezzano category, the youngest of the three aged grades. It is old enough to develop a firm, compact paste and a nutty, savory depth while keeping the sweet milkiness of mountain dairy.