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2008: The Year of the Cheese Cave

Posted by Jamie Forrest, January 15, 2008 at 10:30 AM

In their latest newsletter, New York's famed Murray's Cheese has boldly dubbed 2008 the "Year of the Cave." In addition to their regular selection of cheese education classes, they have begun offering tours of their five aging caves to the general public. What a great chance to see some of the skill and magic that go into the practice of affinage, or cheese-aging, from some of the country's most renowned affineurs.

Affinage is an art that has been practiced for centuries in Europe, but is just now beginning to take hold in America. Affineurs are responsible for procuring young cheeses from producers which they then age, "finishing," and sell to restaurants and retail. Their efforts can bring out considerable depth of flavor unique to their own personal styles, maturing their cheeses at strict climatic conditions, cleaning, washing, turning, and tasting them as they age. Ultimately it is up to the affineur to select for sale those cheeses that are just about to hit their peak ripeness. A good cheese can become great in the hands of a skilled affineur, while a great cheese can become terrible in the hands of someone less fit for the task.

It just so happens that the strict climatic conditions needed for aging cheese can be found in underground caves. These days it is less common to find cheeses aging in real caves (though for some, like Roquefort, it is a requirement) than in climate-controlled refrigeration rooms. Murray's has one room for smelly washed-rind cheeses, one for young cheeses they age from scratch, one for blues, and a couple of other rooms as well--all of which are kept at different temperatures and humidities. And all of this lies somewhere below the store's cheese counter and above the 6th Avenue subway line!

Zoe is the affineur at Murray's, and it's clear from their website that she has a deep passion for her work. She, and the caves she calls her office, are perhaps the reasons Murray's selection is always a cut above the rest.

Photo of Murray's sidewalk cave peek hole from synaesthesia on Flickr.com

1 Comment | Tags: cheese, cheese caves

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