The wait is over! This weekend we are celebrating the 9th Annual Release of our Rogue River Blue; this is the historic seasonal release of the cheese judged Best in Show @ the 27th Annual American Cheese Society Awards in Montreal that comes at the time of the autumnal equinox, Friday September 23. This is the second time in 3 years that Rogue Creamery and its signature raw milk blue cheese, Rogue River Blue, have won this prestigious award. All across the United States as well as in the European Union, fine markets and cheese shops have received their annual shipment of our flagship cheese, and it is now available for purchase.
The coming of fall represents a period of slowing down and celebrating the seasons change with family and friends. For
us at Rogue Creamery it also means the release of our award winning cheese. Rogue River Blue is produced at the
turning of the season, made with late-season milk produced after the autumnal equinox. At this time, our cows graze on
grasses renewed by cooler temperatures and make milk that is richer and higher in butterfat due to the advanced stage of the lactation cycle. It is this special milk, reflective of the unique seasonal influences of the Rogue River Valley, which is the very essence of terroir. This is the French concept that well-crafted foods represent a certain special essence of a
region: the soil, the climate, the interaction of herd and pasture. This is indeed a time to celebrate!
This year the Autumnal Equinox falls on September 23rd at exactly 5:05 am EDT. Equinox comes from the Latin term
“equal night.” On this day and again in the spring the Earth’s axis makes the nighttime equal to the daytime which means approximately 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night. For centuries cultures worldwide have celebrated this time of year by honoring abundance, balance, conservation and reflection. For our Autumnal Equinox Celebration we choose to look towards these virtues to plan our fall party. Certainly our Rogue River Blue took center stage with late summer and early fall fruits and veggies also playing a starring role. We hope you’ll take the time to celebrate with family and friends and enjoy a warm and renewing fall season. Please see below for a sample party menu, or create your own with other recipes that are available on our website www.roguecreamery.com
- Rogue River Blue Autumnal Equinox Party
- Rogue Creamery Rogue River Blue served with artisan bread and honey
- Rogue Creamery Oregon Blue with fig and Prosciutto Wraps
- Mini Herb Cakes with Fall King Salmon & Shredded TouVelle
- Baked Potato, Leek and Smokey TouVelle Soup with Apple Smoked Bacon
- Hazelnut Meringue Cake with wild Blackberries and Whipped Cream
- Roasted Root Veggies on a Rosemary Stick
- Rogue Ale Hazelnut and Chocolate Stout Ales
- Carpenter Hill 2009 Petite Syrah
Rogue River Blue is handmade from Brown Swiss and Holstein cows’ milk, certified sustainable by Food Alliance. The
cows graze in 1650 foot elevation pastures along the Rogue River and in 5000 foot elevation pastures along the Klamath
River, where they eat a variety of grasses, wild herbs, and wild flowers supplemented with grass hay, alfalfa and grain
grown on the ranch. The five pound (2.2 kg) wheels are made by hand and aged in specially-constructed caves. The
cheese ripens from naturally occurring molds found in the Rogue River Valley and, therefore, reflects a deep connection
to the land. After maturation, the cheese is wrapped in Syrah grape leaves from Carpenter Hill Vineyard which have been macerated in Clear Creek Pear Brandy and tied to the wheel with raffia. Rogue River Blue was honored as World’s Best Blue at the 16th World Cheese Awards in London, England beating out entries from all over the world. That was the first time that an American blue cheese had ever won the title. The creamery also made history in 2007 by becoming the first American exporter of raw milk cheese to the EU; their cheese is carried in Whole Foods Market & Neal’s Yard Dairy, London and Fromagerie Laurent Dubois, Paris.
Rogue Creamery was founded in 1928. The Vella family from Sonoma, California acquired it from a co-op in Southern
Oregon in 1935. In the 1950s it began making some of the country’s best blue cheese. In 2002, Ig Vella selected Cary
Bryant and David Gremmels as the new owners and they now produce a variety of award-winning cheeses. They offer the only vertically integrated third party certified sustainable cheese in the U.S. Its local dairy, Rogue View, and creamery, Rogue Creamery, are both certified sustainable by Food Alliance, Steritech and organic by Oregon Tilth.
Source: Rogue Creamery