Most cheeses aren't labeled with their date of production, so a consumer can't know how old they really are. And for many cheeses, why would you care? What matters is how it tastes – whether it's underripe or over the hill, too moist or too dry.
Every cheese, like every wine, has a limited lifespan, but too many variables affect the development to think that age can tell you much. How was it shipped? How has it been stored?
Yet cheeses do change as they age, and the larger they are, the slower change happens. Wheels lose moisture steadily, unless they are enclosed in a plastic bag, as some block cheddars are.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: The San Francisco Chronicle.