Catalonia's 4 Cheeses That you Should Try. Report from Vila Viniteca
This chiller cabinet looks like a golden altar! You can't help but freeze, stare mesmerised at the treasure trove of huge cheese heads and exhale: "My goodness! Vila Viniteca is a place where I would like to thank all the goats, cows, sheep, shepherds and cheesemakers for their existence! It is a true paradise for cheese lovers, where you can forget about time, money and your diet. ....
A BIT OF HISTORY
Vila Viniteca was founded in 1932 on calle Agullers 9 in the Born district of Barcelona and is now in its third generation. Initially, the company focused solely on the sale, import and export of wines, but over the last few decades it has expanded considerably and now offers almost all the main Catalan and Spanish delicacies. You can taste them in 6 locations: 4 in Barcelona, one in Madrid and one in Esparreguera. You can find their addresses here.
We visited a shop in the L'Illa Diagonal shopping centre to taste and learn more about Catalan cheeses.
ABOUT CHEESES
The cheese altar will whet your appetite! And the big table in the middle of the shop makes it impossible to leave without tasting the delicacies. The choice is overwhelming, you want everything at once!
We ask the cheese consultant to show us the cheeses of Catalonia and recommend the best sellers. We end up with 4 types of cheese on our tasting plate.
Carrat
It is a soft cheese made from goat's milk with mould. Unlike other mould cheeses, it does not have a sharp, spicy, astringent flavour. Nevertheless, you won't eat a lot of this cheese, but you will enjoy a piece for a long time: the flavour is sour-sweet, rich and opens up gently. It goes well with red wine and nuts.
Ermesenda
It is a semi-hard cow's milk cream cheese. It is characterised by its natural pale yellow colour and its holes. It has a pure milk flavour with a sweet-bitter aftertaste. Reminiscent of the famous Dutch cheeses. We've found it to be the perfect ally for onion soup or a morning sandwich with black bread and coffee.
Garotxa
Goat's cheese with a natural mouldy grey crust that gives the cheese its character. It has a white colour and a firm texture. Its flavour is balanced, natural and slightly salty. It goes well with the traditional Spanish quince and walnut marmalade.
Or blanc de Corroncui
A sheep's milk cheese that matures between six months and a year. It is slightly reminiscent of another famous Spanish cheese, Manchego. It is also semi-hard, but the flavour is a little sharper and leaves a very pleasant nutty aftertaste. It is a kind of classic that can appeal to both traditional cheese lovers and those who like more "interesting" cheeses.
ABOUT THE WINES
In total, the shop offers wines from 200 wineries! Here you can browse through a range of wines, priced from 5 euros a bottle to several thousand euros. There are always boxes with special offers at the entrance. So you can buy excellent wines at good prices - 10 - 20 euros per bottle.
ABOUT DELICATES
Here you can also buy the best tinned fish, olive oil, marmalade, the famous quince jam Membrillo / Dulce de Membrillo, olives of different varieties, Jamón and other meat specialities...
ON CATALAN SAUSAGES
This is what a tasting plate of the most popular sausages of southern Spain might look like. From left to right:
Pa de fetge - pork liver and bacon paté
Fuet - Catalan dried pork sausage covered with a white crust of noble mould with a mushroom flavour
Bull blanc - pork sausage cooked with salt and pepper
Catalana trufada - a typical Catalan sausage with pieces of truffle
Bull negro - cooked sausage stuffed with pork meat and blood with spices
Generally speaking, after spending 30 euros on the above delicacies, our party of three came away satisfied and well-fed. If you're worried about being hungry, order a few starters from the menu and try some of the best local appetisers!
Vila Viniteca - is the place where you can taste the most important local delicacies. Choose what you like and take it home as a gift at a very reasonable price.
