Section 28 Sunrise
Origin: Adelaide Hills, SAMilk: Raw Cow
Type: Semi-firm
Flavour: Floral, Stone Fruit, Roast Nut
Texture: Smooth, Creamy
Section28 is a small Artisan producer of high quality, handcrafted Alpine style cheeses, located in South Australia’s, Adelaide Hills. Each cheese produced, is made using traditional methods and aged to create products that are inspired by classic European cheeses. However, their cheeses remain uniquely Australian in their style and flavour, highlighting the excellent quality of the local raw milk, and quintessentially capturing the terroir of the local region.
Cheesemaker Kym Masters, after spending time in France and Italy learning the craft of cheesemaking, returned to set up Section28, and has gone one to win many awards with the hand-made uniquely Australian cheeses he produces. Each cheese references European heritage and cheese making traditions while having a style and flavour that is distinctly their own and represents the Adelaide Hills.
Section28 Sunrise is a classic semi-hard alpine cheese that is a genuine representation of Adelaide Hills Terroir.
It is made using raw milk, traditional French production techniques and the spent lees from the Adelaide Hills Winery BK Wines’ Pétillant-naturel Chardonnay.
Section 28 collects the lees from BK Wines as they rack-off their Pétillant-naturel mid-vintage, to ensure the fullness of flavour, Sunrise is only made immediately after the Pet-Nat is racked. The cheese is then washed twice per week with diluted lees for a minimum of three months to infuse the unique floral, fruity flavours of the Chardonnay grapes. After this washing process, the Sunrise is aged for a further six months. This additional ageing ensures that the underlying cheese has fully developed roast nut and umami flavours that complement the floral notes from the rind.
BK Wines source its Chardonnay grapes from a vineyard only kilometres from the Section 28 and close to the Glenmax dairy. The Pétillant-naturel is made in the winery, less than 15 kilometres from Section28. As a result, the Section28 Sunrise is a cheese that is 100% locally sourced and represents a genuinely unique taste of the Adelaide Hills.
The washing with Pétillant-naturel Chardonnay lees gives the cheese a golden rind with a fresh and fruity taste. Initially the cheese has hints of stone fruits, including peach and nectarine, which complements the smooth, creamy paste that has an underlying grassy, nutty flavour.
Served with plain crackers and fresh summer fruits, and BK Wines Pet Nat Chardonnay if you can get your hands on a bottle. If not a lovely bottle of Adelaide Hills Chardonnay will be equally delicious!