Mixed-Milk Bica From Portugal charms

The busy cheese counter at V. Sattui Winery in St. Helena is not where I would expect to find Bica, a little-known mixed-milk cheese from Portugal. But that's in fact where I spotted it last month. Even better, the Bica was uncut. I would get a fresh slice from an intact cheese, so I would be sampling this particular wheel at its peak.

What a little charmer. Weighing just over 2 pounds, Bica has a reddish exterior from being repeatedly rubbed with wine and paprika. Its surface shows the striations created by the cheesecloth bag that the fresh curds are gathered and drained in, the same method used for Vella Dry Jack.

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