Cheese making is a revered tradition, practiced with the upmost care by cheesemakers around the world. But Wisconsin cheesemakers are breaking the mold of traditional affinage and giving it their own unique flair. By building modern aging cellars, Wisconsin cheesemakers are producing original cheeses that best the cheeses coming from classic European aging caves.

Jeanne Carpenter, the voice of Cheese Underground, recently reported on this new form of aging. In response to an article that ran in the New York Times by cheesemonger Steven Jenkins, who claimed affinage was a “total crock,” Carpenter said:

“All one has to do is talk to a Wisconsin cheesemaker and taste a cheese that’s been aged in a humidity and temperature-controlled room to realize the art of affinage is exactly that – an art. These days, American cheesemaking doesn’t begin and end in the make room. It continues into the aging room and is responsible for producing some of the most beautiful and delicious cheeses in the world.”

In her article, Jeanne supports her statement by talking to one Wisconsin cheesemaker that is successfully practicing this modern form of affinage.

To read more about the technique of affinage, and to discover how one cheesemaker built his own aging facility, visit Jeanne’s blog: Cheese Underground.

Read More: The New Age of American Aging Cellars