January 2026: Italian Alpine Cheese of the Month Club
Cheese of the Month Club

January 2026: Italian Alpine Cheese of the Month Club

January 17, 2026
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This month, we're heading to the Italian Alps with ancient cheesemaking traditions. All of January's selections come from the legendary Guffanti Formaggi, a fifth-generation cheese selector who has been aging exceptional wheels in their historic Arona cellars since 1876. These mountain cheeses tell the story of high-altitude pastures, traditional methods, and patient aging that transforms milk from grazing cows into complex, unforgettable flavors.
 
As a special treat, we've included Guffanti's famous Erboritain – their playful marriage of artisan blue cheese and fine chocolate. Your membership supports our commitment to sourcing these extraordinary Italian treasures from one of the world's most respected cheese houses.

Bra Duro Vecchio

Cow, Sheep & Goat's Milk

A PDO-protected treasure from Piedmont's Cuneo province named after the historic market town of Bra. This aged mountain cheese blends primarily cow's milk with subtle additions of sheep and goat milk, creating a firm, golden wheel. Extended aging beyond six months develops flavors of roasted hazelnuts, toasted herbs, and dried hay with a pleasant saltiness.

Serve with chestnut honey and crusty bread.

Toma San Sebastiano

Cow's Milk

Crafted exclusively from raw milk of red-spotted cattle grazing freely in Valle d'Aosta's mountain pastures and named for the church nearby, this cheese honors centuries of mountain tradition. Aged a minimum of eight months in Guffanti's cellars, it develops a delicate, elastic texture with nutty undertones. The cows feed on native valley hay and summer grasses at high elevation, imparting sweet, herbaceous notes throughout the supple paste.Serve with fresh pears.

 

Toma della Burtulina

Cow's Milk

Just twenty dairy cows graze above 2,000 meters in pristine alpine meadows rich with wildflowers and aromatic mountain herbs, producing exceptionally flavorful raw milk. The young wheels offer creamy, fresh notes reminiscent of sweet cream, while extended aging develops deeper complexity and intensity. 

Serve with a light red wine and crackers.

Bonus! Erboritain Chocolate Blue

Seriously luxurious, this wheel looks like a blue cheese cake layered with chocolate. Enjoy this stunning, sweet-savory wheel as an after-dinner indulgence.


Add-On: Incontro Barolo Beef Salami

Beef

Third-generation salumi maker Tony Incontro infuses this artisan beef salami with noble Barolo red wine alongside Sicilian sea salt, garlic, and black peppercorns. The wine's richness lingers throughout, creating layers of complex, bold flavor. Each bite delivers sophisticated depth that pairs beautifully with mountain cheeses and red wine.