What is Yarrawa?
Yarrawa by Pecora Dairy is Australia’s first uncooked raw sheep’s milk cheese. It is named after the indigenous word for Robertson’s unique cool climate rainforest.
Eight years in the making, the Yarrawa is in a league of its own. Effectively, tt is the labour of love of Cressida and Michael McNamara, on their farm in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales.
An unadulterated expression of the local terroir
Macro factors like soil, pasture and season give this cheese its sense of time and place. But so do the seasonal microflora that are encouraged to grown within the cheese and on its natural rind.
Moreover, the cheesemaker uses only very simple starter cultures to make this cheese. Under those circumstances, indigenous yeasts and moulds have the space they need to express themselves.
Full of character
The pressed uncooked cheese has a complex grey rind that is full of character. Underneath the rind lies a slightly springy off-white pâte with tiny eyes.
Whilst Yarrawa is very robust on the nose with a strong barnyard aroma, it has an incredible array of flavours. Altogether, they range from herbaceous and citrus to floral notes with a lingering finish.
Undoubtedly, this exceptional and daring cheese smells and tastes of the region where it comes from, and the farm where it is made. If you’re looking for a comparison to European cheeses, you will be hard pressed to find one. Because this is a uniquely Australian cheese.
How to pair Yarrawa
Enjoy the Yarrawa with local Shiraz or a dry Sherry.
