Holy Goat La Luna
Origin: Sutton Grange, VicMilk: Pasteurised Goats
Type: Goat
Flavour: Fresh, Citrus, Goaty
Texture: Smooth, Silky
Carla Meurs and Anne-Marie Monda established Holy Goat Cheese in 1999. After spending 12 months working on farms around Europe in the early 90’s, the couple returned to Australia and eventually purchased Sutton Grange Organic Farm where they set up the dairy.
A small and pampered herd of some 120 Saanen and British Alpine goats call the farm home. The goats have free-range access to a rich variety of predominantly native grasses, herbs and shrubs. These deep-rooted, fibrous pastures suit the natural feeding habits of goats and produce sweet, high quality milk and cheeses with unique complexity and depth. The goat herd & farm cheese production are organically certified (National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia, NASAA).
Holy Goat cheeses are produced to capture the delicacy of goats’ milk. The cheese production is based on a slow lactic acid fermentation of the milk to produce delicate soft curds. Cheese is made every day
In the same way as the wonderful goats cheese of France, La Luna has been able to develop a very unique Australian ‘terroir’, due to a combination of factors – the pastures, native bush and vegetation, water, feed, soils, and the goats themselves that make this cheese unique.
La Luna’s, production begins with the milk being gently pasteurised and then slowly fermented to form a soft curd. Afterwards, the cheesemaker shapes the curd into a large ring with a hole in the middle which is left to mature for a minimum of 3 weeks. During the maturation, the delicate Geotrichum candidum mould forms a wrinkly ivory rind on the surface. Underneath the rind, the soft white pâte has an ice cream like consistency and a mild milky and herbaceous aroma.
Moreover, as the cheese matures, its flavour goes from light and citrusy to being full- bodied and nutty.
Enjoy this Aussie beauty with a zingy, zesty cool climate Chardonnay, crisp sauvignon Blanc or dry Rose