On the Hudson Valley cheese trail

Cheese Louise

Cheese Louise at 940 Route 28 in Kingston, (845) 853-8207, https://cheeselouise-ny.com. Opened in 2010, Cheese Louise specializes in domestic and imported cheeses, nitrite-free salamis, sausages, crackers, caviar and other finest-quality foodstuffs. Owners Rick Regan and Sam McDevitt recently forged a new relationship with an exclusive importer of French cheeses; and Cheese Louise will soon stock some hard-to-find select cheeses from small-production farms. Who needs to take the train to Zabar’s? Not you.

The Cheese Plate

The Cheese Plate at 10 Main Street, #302, in New Paltz, (845) 255-2444, https://cheeseplatenewpaltz.com. A great all-around cheese shop with soothing ambiance. If you’re up for a splurge, try the addicting Challerhocker, a small-batch cheese from Switzerland whose rind features portraits of the cheesemaker’s children. Its name means “cellar sitter,” but it tastes like it was beamed down from Heaven: hazelnutty, slightly fruity, a touch sweet.

Grand Cru Beer and Cheese Market

Grand Cru Beer and Cheese Market at 6384 Mill Street in Rhinebeck, (845) 876-6992, https://grandcrurhinebeck.com. Grand Cru is all about beer, but has a nice little assortment of artisanal cheeses in back. If beer has as much affinity for cheese as wine, this is the place to seek a topnotch custom pairing.

Makers:

The Amazing Real Live Food Company

The Amazing Real Live Food Company at 100 Chase Road in Pine Plains, (518) 398-0368, https://amazingreallive.com. Its Old World-style cheeses heralded by old-time fonts are a pleasure to eat and to behold. Featuring products that are chock-full of digestive enzymes and probiotic “beasties,” nutrition plays as large a role in taste at this place. Try a five-ounce tub of the excellent Farmer’s Cheese with horseradish, for an extra kick. Meet the proprietors on summer Sundays at the Rhinebeck Farmers’ Market, or look for the goods at Adams Fairacre Farms, Mother Earth in Kingston or the High Falls Co-op, among others.

Casa Del Caciocavallo

Casa Del Caciocavallo at 10 Orchard Drive in Gardiner, (845) 883-0272, https://casadelcaciocavallo.com. Freddy and Cristina Destefano turned his mother Maria’s home recipe into a winning business in 2003. Caciocavallo is a stretch-curd Italian cheese, and theirs is hand-rolled and aged for at least 60 days. Find four flavors – traditional, hot pepper, black pepper and garlic – at Adams Fairacre Farms, Rossi’s Deli or Nature’s Pantry.

Hawthorne Valley Farm

Hawthorne Valley Farm at 327 County Route #21C in Ghent, (518) 672-7500, https://hawthornevalleyfarm.org. Sixty head of dairy cows produce the nutrient-rich raw milk from which Hawthorne Valley’s pasteurized cheeses are crafted. If you’ve got time for a tour, check out the basement room where the cheeses age. Havarti, cheddar, gouda-style and Alpine cheeses are all excellent.

Sprout Creek Farm

Sprout Creek Farm at 34 Lauer Road in Poughkeepsie, (845) 485-9885, https://sproutcreekfarm.org. Sprout Creek has a little market stocked with cow and goat cheeses made out of milk from the farm, as well as vegetables and meats. Don’t miss the Ouray, a firm, raw cow’s-milk cheese that Wine Spectator named one of the best 100 in the world. It can also be found at Adams.

Why stop there? There’s Coach Farm, growing famous for its excellent goat cheese; Old Chatham Sheepherding Company, which makes a pleasingly soft-ripened curiosity called Nancy’s Hudson Valley Camembert; Nettle Meadow Farm’s distinct Lavender Honey Fromage Blanc; and a host of small-batch cow’s-milk cheeses from Twin Maple Farm. Sand down your boards, clean your slates and get out there, cheese-lovers.