Chicagoist's Cheese Of The Month: Dante

The rich colors of changing leaves; the aroma of spiced apple cider lingering in the air; the promise of abundance in the year’s final harvest: October must be the most beautiful month. What better way to welcome the crisp new fall season than with a cheese that boasts nutty, toasted notes to charm the palate when served both alone and atop roasted root vegetables or rustic and hearty pasta dishes. Meet Dante, a cheese made in the classic Manchego style with a sweet flavor and a haunting name that conjures imagery of the inferno.

Dante is made by the Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Cooperative (WSDC), a co-op founded in the '90s when the demand for sheep’s milk was first blossoming on the American market. At the time, many sheep milk dairy startups couldn’t support themselves and quickly went out of business. A group of farmers decided to band together to form WSDC in order to support the new sheep milk industry.

Soon after, the co-op found themselves with a surplus of ewe milk. Of course, that problem has only one logical solution: make some cheese. WSDC banded with the sheep milk research facility at University of Wisconsin-Madison to create the first American version of the popular Spanish cheese, Manchego. After careful research, they landed on the recipe for Dante and have masterfully produced this local gem for the past 10 years.

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