This sampler features four cheeses that are typical of four distinct regions of Italy:

• Provolone Piccante - The piccante (sharp) version of this classic Italian cheese is more complex and great on sandwiches or chunked. (8 oz.)
• Grana Padano Stravecchio - The original hard Italian cheese, Grana Padano is a firm, dry, fruity cheese from the Po Valley of Northern Italy. Stravecchio is aged for an optimal 20 months. Grate it over pasta, vegetables or soup, or serve it as a table cheese drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. (8 oz.)
• Mountain Gorgonzola - Italy's famous blue cheese comes from Lombardy. Made from cow's milk taken from local herds that graze on beautiful rolling pastures, no Italian Cheese Assortment would be complete without a cut of authentic Gorgonzola. (8 oz.)
• Pecorino Toscano - This soft, sheep's milk cheese is made in the hills of Tuscany. It is young, sweet and springy. We find that this combination well represents the wide variety of flavors and textures found in Italian cheeses. (8 oz.)<ul><b><li>Please note that any item temporarily out of stock will be substituted with a similar item of equal value.<P><font color="red">This item is not packaged as a gift. If you would like the gift packaged version of this item please <a href = "prodview.aspx?prod=AG276">click here.

What could be better than to break out that prized bottle of wine you've been saving, served with some of the world's greatest cheeses? This Four-Cheese Sampler was created with everyone's palate in mind. The cheeses in the sampler are:

• Blue - From Italy's famed Lombardy region comes superb Mountain Gorgonzola. It is mild yet tangy, creamy yet firm, with a pale interior laced with streaks of blue. Delicious served the Italian way (drizzled with honey), it is a real treat for connoisseurs.
• Nutty - Beemster Classic Exta Aged Gouda is ripened for a full 18 months to develop its nutty, caramel-like flavor. It is always a crowd pleaser.<li><b>Aged - Gruyere de Comte Black Label Reserve has been produced since the reign of Charlemagne, when there were no separate entities named France and Switzerland. Contributing to Comté's unique flavor, morning and evening milkings are mingled before the cheese making process. The wheels are aged for a full year, resulting in a sweet and nutty masterpiece.
• Tangy - No holiday cheese assortment would be complete without authentic cheddar, and this one from Denhay of England is as good as it gets.

Whether entertaining or having an intimate night in by the fire, our selection of favorites is sure to be a winner.

• Please note that any item temporarily out of stock will be substituted with a similar item of equal value.

This item is not packaged as a gift. If you would like the gift packaged version of this item please <a href = "prodview.aspx?prod=AG919">click here.

The 4 cheese sampler plus: Malagon with Rosemary, Dorothea, Camembert & White Stilton with Mango-Ginger

igourmet.com is saluting blue cheese by offering this International Blue Cheese Assortment, containing four of the world's greatest blue cheeses. For creating blue cheese in the first place, we owe thanks to a micro-organism named penicillium roqueforti. This microscopic spore attaches itself to a young cheese and, assuming the cheese is laced with small cracks, multiplies and spreads blue mold throughout as the cheese matures. By the way, this little microbe is also the principal agent used in creating penicillin, the world's first antibiotic. And now, back to the cheese...<ul><li><b> Roaring Forties: A modern blue from King Island, Australia. We are astounded by its creamy, delicious flavor every time we sample it. (8 oz)

Regina Blue: This new specialty from German Cheesemaker Paladin has an extremely mild and creamy flavor. Its extravagant richness is due to the fact that the cheese has a 65% fat content. (8 oz)

Mountain Gorgonzola: With its white interior laced with streaks of blue, Mountain Gorgonzola is an attractive table cheese and a savory ingredient in your favorite salad. Or- try it the Italian way - on a plate drizzled with honey. (8 oz)

Fourme d'Ambert: This AOC (name controlled) creamy blue cheese is a lovely French treasure. Fourme d'Ambert is cave-aged for a minimum of two months, made from raw cow's milk and has a tremendous, creamy, full-bodied flavor. (8 oz)

• Please note that any item temporarily out of stock will be substituted with a similar item of equal value.

<B>This item is not packaged as a gift. If you would like the gift packaged version of this item please click here.

Huntsman, or Stilchester cheese is a combination of layered English Double Gloucester cheddar and Stilton (English Blue cheese).This creamy, cow's milk cheese is a modern marriage of two classics.

The extraordinary flavor of mature Stilton comes from careful aging for a minimum of three months. This mature Stilton is a pure table (eating) cheese; it is too precious and delicious to submerge in a dressing or dip.

The flavor of this popular, factory-made cheese is the product of a marriage between Camembert and Gorgonzola, hence, the name. It has a white, Brie-like, white, bloomy rind surrounding a rich, buttery triple crème (70% butterfat) interior with blue veining. Recommended wines are light- to medium-bodied Burgundies and Bordeaux.

The original pioneer of Blue Stilton, commonly referred to as "The King of Cheeses," was Mr. Cooper Thornhill, owner of the Bell Inn on the Great North Road in the town of Stilton. In 1730, Mr. Thornhill discovered a distinctive blue cheese while visiting a small farm in rural Leicestershire. He fell in love with the cheese and forged a business arrangement that granted the Bell Inn exclusive marketing rights to Blue Stilton. Soon thereafter, wagon loads of cheese were being delivered to the Inn. Since the main stagecoach routes from London to the North of England passed through the village of Stilton he was able to promote the sale of this cheese and the legend of Stilton rapidly spread far and wide. The extraordinary flavor comes from careful aging for a minimum of three months. This Stilton is produced in Leicestershire and is full, rich and creamy. Its shocking blue veins radiate outward from a natural, crinkly brown crust, revealing layers and folds of honeyed, cheddary flavor. We recommend this mature Stilton as a pure table (eating) cheese; it is too precious and delicious to submerge in a dressing or dip.<ul><li>Made from pasteurized cow's milk.<li>Photo depicts 1/2 of a 8 lb. wheel of cheese.<li>We cut and wrap this item by the 1/2 pound.

Please contact us if you would like to purchase the whole form.

Cambazola is part of the Blue cheese family. It is a rich and creamy Camembert-type cheese with a bloomy white rind. Beneath its crust, one finds streaks of tangy blue. It is a cheese that is derived from combining Camembert and Gorgonzola (which is one of the oldest known Blue cheeses), hence its name Cambozola. Very popular all over the world, Cambozola is the perfect addition to the after-dinner cheese course and pairs well with fruit and nuts.

A soft, double cream cheese with blue veins and a gentle pungency, Saga Blue is one of Denmark's most popular cheeses. It has a white mold that is mild as blues go, making this a lovely introduction to those who are not accustomed to blue cheese. Cows' milk.