Puzzone di Moena - pair the 'Big Stinky' cheese with indigenous wines
Puzzone di Moena won 2022 World Cheese Awards. Its name literally means 'Big Stinky.' Paired with Trentino indigenous wines - Teroldego, Nosiola, Marzemino - the washed-rind pungency meets mountain fruit in ways that only work at altitude.
How to Complete
4 steps to experience this fully
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Learn how washed-rind cheesemaking in Val di Fassa created the 2022 Italian Cheese Awards winner
🍷 Log MemoryBefore visiting cheese shops, research at your hotel or ask locals: 'Tell me about Puzzone di Moena's name.' 'Puzzone' literally translates to 'Big Stinky' in Italian — but in Ladin language (Val di Fassa's native tongue), it's called 'Spretz tzaorì' meaning 'tasty pressed cheese.' The STINK comes from washed-rind aging: after WWI, malgarians (alpine dairymen) began washing their 'nostrani' cheeses with salt water. This creates orange-brown rind bacteria that smell PUNGENT but taste sweet, with hints of grass, ripe fruit, hazelnut. Ask ANY cheese counter staff in Trentino: 'Why is Puzzone called Big Stinky?' They'll laugh and explain the washed-rind process. The smell is STRONG (think funky gym socks). The taste is MILD, sweet, nutty. This disconnect — intimidating smell, delicious flavor — is the whole point.
🔄 BACKUP: If no one can explain, read the PDO label on any Puzzone package. It details Val di Fiemme, Fassa, and Primiero as production zones — these valleys birthed washed-rind tradition centuries ago.
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Find the real PDO Puzzone, not imitations - check for certification seal
🍷 Log MemoryTrue Puzzone di Moena has PDO certification (granted March 2013) — made from RAW cow's milk in Val di Fassa, Val di Fiemme, Valle di Primiero. Semi-hard pressed paste, washed rind, yellow-ochre to light brown color. Smell: pungent, funky. Taste: sweet, grassy, hazelnut, ripe fruit. At cheese shops in Madonna di Campiglio town center OR rifugi serving cheese platters (Graffer, Brentei), request: 'Puzzone di Moena DOP - il vero, per favore' ('the real one, please'). Check for PDO seal on label. Ask to SMELL it first (the funk is part of the experience). Buy a 200-300g wedge for pairing (€8-12 for 500g). If at rifugio, order 'tagliere di formaggi' (cheese board) and confirm Puzzone is included.
🔄 BACKUP: If local shops don't stock it, Puzzone's production zone (Moena, Predazzo) is 45 min drive from Campiglio. Visit Caseificio Sociale di Predazzo e Moena directly — they have a shop and tasting room.
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Taste how washed-rind pungency meets Teroldego's dark berry and violet notes
🍷 Log MemoryPuzzone's washed-rind funk + sweet hazelnut NEEDS a wine with acidity and fruit to cut through. Teroldego Rotaliano delivers: ruby red, floral bouquet, blackcurrant, sour cherry, violet, balanced tannins. The wine's acidity CLEANSES the cheese's richness. The cheese's nuttiness SOFTENS the wine's tannins. At your hotel, a wine bar (Ferrari Spazio Bollicine works), or rifugio terrace, pour Teroldego first. Smell for violet and dark fruit. Taste — note the acidity. NOW take a bite of Puzzone (rind included — that's where flavor concentrates). The funk hits first. Chew. Hazelnut emerges. Swallow. IMMEDIATELY sip Teroldego. The wine EXPLODES — fruit intensifies, acidity cuts, tannins smooth. They're dancing.
🔄 BACKUP: If Teroldego isn't available, substitute Marzemino (also recommended for Puzzone — ruby red, floral, indigenous to Trentino). Both are traditional pairings from the same Alpine terroir.
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Compare how Nosiola's hazelnut aroma MIRRORS Puzzone's hazelnut finish
🍷 Log MemoryNosiola is Trentino's iconic WHITE grape (named for 'nocciola' — hazelnut). Pale straw yellow, toasted hazelnut aroma, crisp acidity, pear, apple, mineral. Puzzone also has hazelnut notes in its finish. Question: does MATCHING flavors (hazelnut + hazelnut) work better than CONTRASTING flavors (funk + fruit)? After tasting Puzzone + Teroldego (red), RESET your palate with water and bread at your tasting setup. Now pour Nosiola (white) from Valle dei Laghi. Smell for hazelnut — it's subtle but THERE. Taste Puzzone again (fresh bite). Chew. Notice hazelnut emerging. Sip Nosiola. The hazelnuts MIRROR each other — cheese and wine singing the same note. It's harmonious but... less exciting than Teroldego's contrast. Which do YOU prefer?
🔄 BACKUP: If Nosiola is unavailable (it's less common than Teroldego), try ANY crisp white with hazelnut notes. The experiment works with Verdicchio, Cortese, or even Chablis — though the Trentino terroir connection is lost.