Known as “Drunken Goat” in the States, this cheese is from South East Spain, Murcia al Vino is made from the milk of Murciano-Granadina goats. These are well acclimatised to the heat and aridness, grazing on the rich grass and wild herbs, resulting in a very flavourful cheese. While the rounds of cheese are maturing, they are immersed twice in red wine, which gives the rind a red colour. The rind is inedible (sadly, after soaking up all that wine.) The texture is firm, but extremely buttery. Made with pasteurised milk and traditional rennet. Goats cheese is commonly found in areas where the geography is such that pasture for cows is hard to find. (Goats are not indigenous to Britain) Both cold and warm climates produce goat’s milk – think of the arid scrubby pastures of Southern Spain and Greece and steep, rocky alpine mountains and Cumbrian fells.
