In the caves where our alchemies take place this new cheese is placed in“caratelli” those small oak barrels of about 100 lt. which first carry exquisite Vin Santo or other such wines and are then used by us to make our precious Pecorino even more precious wrapped in straw. The Pecorino Pagliaio we pull out of these little treasure chests is always different depending on its position in the barrels. Straw, different from hay, helps the cheese mature with a variety of essences and scents.

Just like a hen will warm her chicks, the straw keeps the cheese warmer and helps the rind become drier and the cheese mature like no other material we use for refining.

Ingredients: pasteurised sheep MILK, live milk enzymes, rennet and salt. Rind surface is treated with straw.
Weight: Approximately 1.3 Kg.
Packing: vacuum packed.
Shelf life of packed product: 120 days.

ALLERGENS: MILK and MILK protein

Cheese characteristics:
SHAPE: it is cylindrical but both sides and flat surfaces are quite irregular as a consequence of the refining process.
EXTERNAL FEATURES: the light straw to sand yellow rind tends to be hard, wrinkled with mould and bits of straw and grass on it.
INTERNAL FEATURES: the paste is chalky, between pure white and a very light yellow with no eyes. The under crust is darker. There may be small deposits of fat which dissolved during fermentation and then solidified again (a typical feature of this type of ageing).
ODOR: dairy and cooked butter scents, a hint of fermented vegetation of medium-high intensity.
FLAVOUR: balanced, slightly salty but sweet. It crumbles and melts in the mouth. Good persistence.

Availability: limited.

Food pairing: it is great on a cheese platter, as antipasto as well as for a tasting of pecorino cheeses.

Wine pairing: with full bodied and well structured red wines.