Southern Oregon for Cheese Lovers | The Cheese Professor

Editor’s note: Our thanks to Liza B. Zimmerman for her research and initial interviews.

Southern Oregon is home to Rogue Creamery, which was voted the best cheese producer in the world in 2019 at the World Cheese Awards in Bergamo, Italy. But that’s just the beginning of the story when it comes to cheese.

Katie Bray. Photo credits to Christine Hyatt

“There is a spirit to the cheesemakers in Southern Oregon that is reflected in the name of the valley: Rogue!” says Katie Bray, executive director of the Portland-based Oregon Cheese Guild, which has 22 members. What sets the region apart are the personalities and enthusiasm for local products. While few creameries are open to the public, you’ll find the local cheese in shops, farmer’s markets, and at wineries. In fact, much of the local cheese never makes it out of state. The guild’s Southern Oregon cheese trail is the best starting place for finding what the region has to offer.

High on Bray’s radar are By George located in Jackson, and the Wooldridge Creek Creamery in Grants Pass, which is the side project of Kara Olmo at Wooldridge Creek Winery. Wooldridge Creek is Oregon’s first joint creamery and winery and the cheeses are made specifically to pair with the wines. They source cow’s milk and have a small herd of goats, and make a variety of fresh, bloomy, and washed rind as well as aged cheeses. Recent cheeses include Winter Fromage Blanc with rosemary, thyme, and orange, Convino, an alpine-style aged cheese soaked in red wine and lees, Noble Bloomy, and the washed rind cheese, Big Foot.

The Oregon Cheese Cave

The Oregon Cheese Cave located in Phoenix, a little town just north of Ashland, is run by Mélodie Picard, a native of Normandy. When Picard’s film career didn’t work out in Hollywood, she ended up working in wine and food in California and eventually made her way to Oregon. In addition to local cheese, she also features imports and clever gifts like cheese-shaped soap and dishtowels that enthusiastically proclaim: “F*** I love cheese!”

The Cheese Cave features sections devoted to Oregon cheese, cow’s milk-based cheeses, and non-cow’s milk cheeses. Her top-selling cheeses are Rogue Creamery’s blue cheeses, By George Farm cheeses, and Camembert de Normandie. According to Picard, “People tend to want French cheese because I’m French. Carrying alternative options like goat, sheep and vegan also help provide cheese to many folks who can't digest cow dairy or lactose or dairy altogether.” Picard even carries an Oregon vegan cheese, Vtopian. Picard identified a By George Farm 'brie' as a Camembert-style and so they renamed it as such. While Oregon is famous for wine, Picard’s favorite thing to pair with cheese is cocktails and she particularly likes cheeses like Roquefort with an older statement of Scotch.

Cheese at the Farmer’s Market

There are two great farmer’s markets in Ashland and another good one in Medford, 20 minutes down the road. At each you’ll find a great selection of local cheese including cheese from small producers like By George Farm such as their aged cheese—Dutchman’s Peak Tomme, Swiss’kiyou Alpine, and Yale Creek Cheddar style. Those cheeses in particular are only available at the markets because production is so limited.

Another local producer selling at the farmer’s market is Oak Leaf Creamery. They make handcrafted, vegetarian cheeses made with raw, goat milk and thistle rennet from their homegrown artichokes.

Wine & Cheese

Local wineries, such as DANCIN Vineyards and Irvine & Roberts feature cheese to taste with their wines. “Southern Oregon is a hotbed of artisanal products,” notes Dan Marca, DANCIN’s Jacksonville, Oregon-based owner, adding that the region may well be the state’s best-kept secret.

Marca’s new favorite source of cheese in Ashland is Huizache Creamery, which he describes as “A relatively new and distinctive cheese producer that works almost exclusively in goat’s milk cheese. They make their goat cheeses in a Spanish style and call them Queso de Cabra. Our favorites include Herbs de Rogue, a soft goat cheese covered in herbs and flowers, as well as Rosa—a soft goat cheese covered in locally sourced rose petals.” Rosa is a particular favorite of DANCIN’s chef Desiree Baird. DANCIN’s antipasti board features a rotating selection of cheeses throughout the year. Says Baird, “Right now, we are showcasing a Fromage Blanc from By George Farm. It’s a silky soft cheese with a hint of sea salt to awaken the tangy flavors.” She also singles out Rogue Creamery as their sole source of blue cheeses, “We featured their Flora Nelle cheese for a long time, and more recently, we’ve been bringing in their Oregon Blue.”

When it comes to wine pairing, Baird says, “The Sea Salt Fromage Blanc plays well with DANCIN Chardonnay (and probably any Chardonnay with similarly balanced creaminess and crispness). It works because it mirrors what you taste in the cheese. They are opposing textures but the notes within match beautifully. The earthiness of blue cheeses, particularly that of Oregon Blue from Rogue Creamery, makes for a great companion to DANCIN Pinot noir. The red fruit notes of the varietal are accentuated as the tannins intermingle with the characteristic rich texture and flavor of blue cheese.”

At Irvine & Roberts, the food and beverage director Ava DeRosier features a local handcrafted cheese board that includes infused honey, fresh jam, seasonal fruit, and house-made crackers. While the cheeseboard changes frequently, she says she loves to highlight some of the wonderful creameries nearby, as well as their own house-made ricotta. Says DeRosier, “We try and select cheeses that can be enjoyed with both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.” One of her favorite wine pairings is By George is Buncom in Bloom, a Camembert style cheese that is soft and creamy with sweet earthy mushroom notes paired with their 2017 Estate Pinot Noir, 2018 Wädenswil Block Pinot Noir, or 2017 Reserve Chardonnay. Also from Oregon is, La Mariposa’s Chubut, a mild and creamy cheese with a tart finish and soft but firm texture that pairs with their 2018 Pinot Meunier or 2018 Convergence Chardonnay.

Johnny Steiger, co-owner and operator of By George Farm says that while cheese production isn't unique to Southern Oregon, what’s unique are the cheese mongers themselves as “we all make such diverse products that reflect the makers and the land they get their milk from.” Thankfully for cheese lovers, “The good news is that we also have many hiking trails to burn all that off,” jokes Steiger.