Bleu de Laqueuille, produced in the mountainous Auvergne region of France, is made only during the summer and autumn months from the milk of Salers cows. This robust blue, reminiscent of Bleu d'Auvergne, is salty and full-bodied with a creamy blue paste. It pairs well with robust reds.

 Fontina Val d'Aosta is rumored to have been revealed to the early inhabitants of the Val d'Aosta by a near-mythical man called Sarvadzo. He taught them to make this unpasteurized, full-fat cheese, matured in grottos for at least three months. Its taste reflects its origins in the high, Alpine slopes - it is actually an Italian cousin to the French Gruyère. Fontina is earthy, mushroomy, and woody, and pairs exceedingly well with roast meats and truffles. This cheese also pairs well with a burly red wine - try a Barolo from Piemonte to the south, or a Zweigelt from Austria to the northeast.

Cantalet, an ancestor to British Farmhouse Cheddars, is a cow's milk cheese from Auvergne, France. It is weighty, moist, creamy, and just subtley sharp, with a very defined sweet and milky quality. Cantalet is a smaller version of a cheese known as Cantal; both pair wonderfully with reds from Merlot to Pinot Noir and whites from Sauvignon Blanc to Gewurztraminer.

Toma Maccagno is a cow's milk mountain cheese from the Valle Cervo in Biella, Italy and was the favorite of the queen of Savoy. This toothsome toma is made in the alpine pastures from the whole milk of the rare Pezzata Rossa d'Oropa cow during the summer months and in the valley itself in the fall. Silky and sharp with rich buttery flavors, this semi-soft cheese is washed with saffron which colors the young rind a vivid red. Delicious eaten unaccompanied with a light fruity wine.

25th Annual Conference, American Cheese Society's Winner.

Bianco Sardo, from Saridinia, Italy, is also known as Canestrato, after the baskets in which this hard sheep's milk cheese is matured. These unique molds are made from Apulian reed and greatly influence the flavor and complexity of the end product, all while giving the cheese a beautiful exterior that reinforces its handmade appeal. Furthermore, the raw sheep's milk used for Bianco Sardo comes only from animals grazing on Apulian green grasses, instilling Bianco Sardo with the well-rounded and balanced flavor of the land. Its paste is dense and sometimes crumbly, its flavor earthy, sweet, and sometimes tangy. Pair Bianco Sardo with Nero d'Avola or Muscat.