The king of Italian cheeses, Parmigiano Reggiano is an iconic raw cow’s milk cheese. Bertinelli is only one of three producers that are closed-circle and control production from start to finish. All wheels are aged a minimum of 24 months and are stamped Export Quality cheese to further ensure that you are getting Parmigiano Reggiano that is best in class. The flavor is persistent, delicate, and complex: look for fruity, nutty notes and a sweetness balanced by savory umami, a classic Parmigiano Reggiano trait. Notes of dried fruit, hay, and flowers can be detected as well. The texture is very compact and granular. The bulk of Parmigiano Reggiano made in Italy today comes from larger dairies that buy their milk from cooperatives and source out the aging process to only 10 wholesalers. Bertinelli (Farm 3030) stands out for being a smaller operation that controls all aspects of cheese production, from caring for the herds to selling the final product. Founded in 1895 by the Bertinelli family, the dairy is located in the province of Parma and is today run by Nicola Bertinelli, who also serves as the current president of the consorzio. While the dairy also operates a retail shop and restaurant, the core of Bertinelli’s closed circle operation focuses on the production of Parmigiano Reggiano. Their herd of 800 cows (mostly Bruna) are fed with the farm’s homegrown feed. From there, the head cheesemaker (the only female cheesemaker in the consorzio) uses her 35 years of experience to oversee the traditional process. Each morning, the evening milk, which has rested overnight, gets combined with the morning milk and is added to a copper vat big enough to make only 2 wheels of cheese at a time. The cream that was skimmed from the top is set aside and used to make butter. Rennet and fermented whey, often from the previous day’s cheesemaking, are added to the milk to help form the curds. Once they are cooked and the cheese is shaped, the young wheel is brined for just under a month before moving to the aging rooms. After 24 months to reach Export quality, the cheese begins to display the intense umami and lingering notes of fruit and hay that make Bertinelli a standout Reggiano producer.
