Spanish Wine Cheese: Drunken Goat and Murcia al Vino
Both Drunken Goat DOP and Murcia al Vino come from the Murcia region of southeastern Spain and are made from pasteurized goat's milk — but they are distinct cheeses. Drunken Goat DOP carries a protected designation of origin and is soaked in Doble Pasta, a Monastrell grape wine, during its 60-to-75-day aging period, producing a mild, creamy paste and an edible violet rind. Murcia al Vino is washed in red wine during ripening, which gives its rind a deeper burgundy color and a more pronounced floral bouquet, while the paste stays clean and bright. Also available: The Drunken Goat® by Mitica, the Mitica-imported version, widely available and sold by weight.
Italian Wine Cheese: Ubriaco and Beyond
Ubriaco — Italian for "drunken" — is the umbrella name for a family of cheeses from the Veneto and Friuli regions that are aged in wine or wine must. Ubriaco al Vino is the classic: a semi-hard cow's milk cheese from Friuli coated in Merlot and Cabernet must, then aged for three months until the wine permeates the paste and the rind turns a deep, fragrant purple. Ubriaco alla Birra follows the same tradition but swaps wine for a local red ale, producing an amber rind and a toasty, malt-forward finish. For a more refined take on the style, Fourme au Moelleux by Rodolphe Le Meunier begins as Fourme d'Ambert — a creamy French blue — then is washed and injected with sweet Vouvray Moelleux dessert wine from the Loire Valley, making it softer, sweeter, and more complex.
American Artisan Wine and Beer Washed Cheeses
A newer generation of American creameries has adopted the European tradition of alcohol-washed rinds with their own regional ingredients. Afterglow from Blakesville Creamery in Wisconsin is a washed-rind goat cheese modeled on France's Langres, finished with New Glarus Belgian Red Ale brewed with local cherries — Best in Class at the 2023 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest. Pecuri In I Vigne, also from Blakesville, is a soft sheep's milk cheese wrapped in wine-soaked grape leaves, with a mild fruity tang and an earthy finish. Foxglove from Tulip Tree Creamery in Indianapolis is a double-cream washed-rind cow's milk cheese with a gooey, buttery center and a funky, pungent orange rind.
Also Worth Exploring
Wine soaked cheeses pair naturally with jams and spreads to pair with cheese — fig preserves and quince paste in particular cut through the wine-forward richness and complement the floral rind character of Drunken Goat and Murcia al Vino. For board structure, crackers and crisps provide the base. Shoppers who enjoy wine soaked styles often move toward brie and white mold cheese or the broader washed rind cheese collection — the closest style siblings in the counter. For guidance on which wines complement these cheeses, the cheese and wine pairing guide covers Spanish, Italian, and French pairings in detail.
Wine Soaked Cheese: Frequently Asked Questions
Wine soaked cheese is cheese that has been bathed, washed, or aged in wine, wine must, or grape-derived liquid during production. The alcohol acts as a preservative and flavoring agent, tinting the rind, softening the paste, and adding fruity or tannic notes depending on the grape variety. Some cheeses, like Drunken Goat DOP, are soaked in whole wine; others, like Ubriaco al Vino, are aged in wine must — the grape skins and solids left over after pressing. The result varies widely: some wine-washed cheeses are mild and approachable, while others develop complex, funky, or intensely fruity rinds.