Cathy Strange's Seasonal Cheese Picks

Parmigiano Reggiano

Following centuries-old practices, cow's-milk cheese made in the caseifici (cheese houses) only in Reggio Emilia, Parma, Modena, Bologna, and Mantua in Northern Italy. Aged two years.

Cave-Aged Gruyère and Emmentaler

Two hard cow's-milk cheeses that are aged around 300 days in the sandstone Kaltbach caves near Lucerne, Switzerland.

Hervé Mons Persillé du Beaujolais

Raw-cow's-milk blue cheese from the valley of Azergue, France, only available a few weeks of the year. Hervé Mons is one of only four master affineurs (cheese-agers), recognized by the French government as a Meilleur Ouvrier, or master craftsman.

Borough Market Farmhouse Stilton and Cheddar

Two British territorial cheeses. The pungent, sharp, nutty Stilton is produced from summer-season cow's-milk and aged at least three months by Neal's Yard Dairy. The cheddar is produced from pasteurized cow's milk and aged 12 to 13 months.

Rogue Creamery 50th Anniversary Oregon Blue

From the Rogue River Valley in Central Oregon, an award-winning raw-cow's-milk blue cheese aged at least 90 days.

Robusto

A Gouda-style Dutch cow's-milk cheese with complex, nutty, slightly sharp flavors, aged for nine months.

Isigny Sainte Mère le Bon Homme Brie

From the Isigny Appellation d'Origine Controle region in Normandy, the cow's milk from these pastures is rich in trace elements and has high butterfat levels, giving Isigny Sainte Mère cheeses their distinctive flavor. This is a rich, creamy brie.

Cypress Grove Truffle Tremor

A ripened goat's-milk cheese flavored with truffles, this is the newest cheese from the Arcata, Calif., makers of the renowned Humboldt Fog.

Hennings Cranberry Cheddar

The multigenerational Hennings family cheese-makers from Kiel, Wisc., are the only makers of mammoth cheddar wheels. This seasonal cranberry cheddar is rBGH-free and made exclusively for Whole Foods.