Alpe Vaia mountain pasture cheese, made with naturalness and authenticity, as dairy tradition dictates in a picturesque high mountain environment
A mountain pasture cheese, an artisanal gem like few that is born in nature where the dairy tradition and the rural landscape are protagonists in the Vaia forest (ERSAF Lombardy) of the municipality of Bagolino among waterfalls and streams with ruminant cows distributed on the slopes grazing at 2,200 meters during thesummer pasture.
Paterlini Ester, the owner of the Malga di Piano farm, produces and ages Vaia cheese, but not only that, another great excellence of hers is a fabulous and fragrant malga butter. A butter made from raw cream outcropping. Ester produces this malga butter that holds its own against the most celebrated French butters and is facilitating the revival of a product that had almost disappeared from the market.
You can get to know Ester in this short video:
Additional information:
- Taste: Full and intense with notes tending to pungent with more advanced aging;
- Milk: semi-skimmed cow’s milk;
- Dough: hard, straw-yellow color, hard amber-colored rind;
- Whole-form weight: varying from 12 to 18 kg;
- Size: diameter 35/45 cm with heel 10-12 cm;
- Producers: Only one producer, Malga di Piano di Paterlini Ester;
- Tasting tips: after removing it from the vacuum, it should be allowed to breathe for about 30 minutes at room temperature.
Alpe Vaia cheese should never be stored in the freezer because it alters the texture of the cheese and compromises its characteristics.
Recommended pairings with Vaia cheese:
- For an end of a meal, for a traditional charcuterie and cheese board, with honey, crusty bread, breadsticks.
- On drinking full-bodied wines, the native red wines of Lake Garda, Groppello, Simut, Montagù, to try with a good beer craft beer from Franciacorta.
Curiosities about the farm:
The Malga di Piano farm of Paterlini Ester is located within the Regional Forest of the same name, in the Municipality of Bagolino (BS), Comunità Montana della Valsabbia, in the evocative landscape of a large glacial basin in the Vaia Stream valley, on the right side of the Val Caffaro.
In the upper part, at 2200 meters, there are alpine meadows where, during the summer alpine grazing, cows roam happily on natural pastures. On the surrounding slopes, there are formations of rhododendrons with scattered larches and firs. In the lower part, at 1500 meters, where the cows stay during the colder months, there is a consistent presence of spruce, silver fir, and beech trees forming true alpine forests.
Vaia Alpine Pasture Cheese: want to know flavor, differences with Bagòss and how to best enjoy it?
What is Vaia mountain pasture cheese and where does it originate?
A rare mountain aged cheese: we bring it in from Alpe Vaia, above Bagolino (Val Sabbia), where in summer cows graze freely above 2,200 m (7,500 ft). It is a semi-fat, hard mountain pasture cheese made from raw cow’s milk with a hint of saffron and aged for a minimum of 18 months. It is produced by a single artisan company, Paterlini Ester’s Malga di Piano. It is cut by hand: the piece you receive weighs about 0.5 kg (470-550 g) and is vacuum-packed, so it maintains the authentic aroma and fragrance of aged Brescian cheeses.
How is it best stored and served?
Golden rule: no freezer. Keep Vaia refrigerated between 4-8°C, wrapped in cheese paper or lightly in foil; if you open the vacuum, close tightly to limit oxygen.
Before tasting: let the piece “breathe” 30 minutes at room temperature.
Cutting: well-sharpened knife; the rind is hard and protects the dough.
Shelf life: once opened, consume preferably within 10 to 15 days, renewing the wrapping if needed.
So you preserve dry texture and aromas of raw-milk alpine cheese.
How does it taste and how does it differ from Bagòss cheese?
Full flavor and alpine identity: on the nose it is intense, in the mouth it is sweet-fruity with natural aromatic drive that tends to pungent as it matures; some perceive a faint “alpine” memory. Vaia and Bagòss share cow’s milk and the use of saffron, but Vaia is single-producer and tied to a specific pasture: herbarium changes, sensory profile changes.
The result: a more “alpine” and vertical cheese, with distinct herbaceous trails. If you love the great aged cheeses of Valsabbia and Val Trompia, this is a piece to discover.
What to pair it with? Ideas among honey, bread and Garda wines
Perfect in the cutting board with crusty bread or breadsticks, a drizzle of honey and dried fruit.
In the glass, choose native red wines from Lake Garda (Groppello, Simut, Montagù) that support flavor and persistence, or a craft beer from Franciacorta if you prefer malts and bubbles.
At the end of the meal give a pure bite: small slivers at room temperature, so the herbaceous notes and delicate spice of saffron emerge.
Nutritional values of Vaia Alpine Pasture Nostrano
| Mean values | per 100 grams |
|---|---|
| Energy | 1670 Kcal |
| Fats | 29/30 gr |
| Saturated fatty acids | 17/19 gr |
| Carbohydrates | 0 gr |
| Sugars | 0 gr |
| Protein | 32/34 g |
| Halls | 1.2 g |
| Fibers | 0 gr |
Adolfo Cei (verified owner) –
Buongiorno, per il momento ho assaggiato l’alpeggio Maniva, un prodotto veramente ottimo, in seguito assaggerò l’alpeggio Vaia che presumo sia anch’esso molto buono. Per quanto riguarda il burro, come lei sa, ho dovuto buttarlo in quanto la confezione refrigerante si era rotta durante il trasporto. Anche se c’è stato questo inconveniente l’esperienza è stata positiva, farò il prossimo ordine quando sarà passato questo caldo. Buona giornata
Mattia Apostoli –
Grazie Adolfo per la tua recensione. Siamo felici di sapere che il formaggio Maniva ti sia piaciuto e siamo sicuri che pure il formaggio Vaia non deluderà le tue aspettative. 😍😀 Ci scusiamo per l’inconveniente riguardo il burro, purtroppo come accennato per email la rottura della scatola in polistirolo durante il trasporto da parte del corriere non ha permesso di mantenere integro e fresco il prodotto. Come da accordi ed essendo dispiaciuti dell’accaduto ti abbiamo inviato uno buono sconto dello stesso valore del burro per poterti permettere di gustarlo alla prima occasione 😃 Prendiamo nota di questo disguido e cercheremo di proteggere ulteriormente il pacco per evitare che durante il trasporto si possano verificare danni simili. Ci fa piacere che hai avuto un’esperienza positiva con i nostri prodotti e apprezziamo la tua fiducia per un prossimo ordine. Ti auguriamo una buona giornata, a presto. Team bbuono
Eleonora Trapelli (verified owner) –
Prodotti eccezionali tipici della nostra provincia di Brescia .Super interessante la proposta delle adozioni a distanza per sostenere i produttori locali ricevendo comodamente a casa i loro prodotti.
Luca Salgarelli (verified owner) –
Formaggio molto particolare. All’apparenza e come consistenza sembrerebbe assomigliare al più famoso Bagoss. Invece è sorprendentemente diverso in bocca. Un tocco di affumicato che ricorda molto i profumi di malga. Piacevolissimo il sapore, forte ma non troppo. Davvero consigliato agli amanti del formaggio genuino e dei sapori decisi.
Mattia Apostoli –
Buongiorno Luca e grazie davvero per la sua bellissima e approfondita recensione 🥰 Le confermo che all’apparenza potrebbe proprio assomigliare al formaggio Bagoss proprio perchè le mucche di razza Bruna Alpina, il latte e la produzione seguono lo stesso procedimento ma come espresso anche da lei il formaggio Vaia ha un sapore diverso (proprio come gli altri grandi stagionati, Silter DOP, Valtrompia DOP, Tombea). Sulla genuinità le confermo che con questi formaggi fa davvero centro 😀
Alla prossima 😃