Sheep cheeses I have loved

misia -- Sheep cheeses I have loved.
hydrozoa -- uh. sheep's milk cheeses.

Gotta start with an Ossau-Iraty, any Ossau-Iraty. Basque sheep cheese, name-controlled, comes in about a 10 lb. wheel, it’s rich and smooth and sweet. Extra aged ones can be a little sharp. Aged raw milk ones can be a little earthy/gamey. I like ‘em all but I think this cheese is best in the semi-soft age range. Abbey De Belloc is my favorite brand right now.

Sheep ricotta from Italy. Eat it up, yum. Also, try a baked Ricotta Salata if you can find one. The baking brings up the sugars so it’s sweet and salty.

Halloumi (sometimes goat or a blend) just fry that cheese in a pan! I love that.

Mt. Vikos Manouri (sheep and goat) Yes, this is a brand name. I’ve never had another Manouri like this. The consistency is like a chocolate truffle.

Pecorino Sardo be careful here. There are a million cheeses called Sardo. (Some not even made in Sardinia) Some are incredible, most are pretty good. The one we get is potato-y, earthy, and sharp. You can totally smell what the sheep were eating.

Brin D’amour/Fleur du Marquis Corsican sheep milk cheese aged with rosemary and other local herbs. Usually raw milk but not always.

Perail again, be careful. Soft-ripened little sheepy disc. Oozes out when you cut it. Rich and nutty and gone in like four bites. These go bad in an instant but are sold as wheels so are hard to taste before you buy. Unfortunately, when they are bad it’s like rimming a sheep. I’ve had to switch distributors and brands constantly and I don’t even have one right now. Maybe next week. Being closer to the East Coast you may have better luck than I do. Brebiou and Brebidor are other good soft-ripened sheep cheeses if you can’t get this. (stay away from Berger de Rocastin, by the makers of Fromager D’affinois, that cheese sucks)

Ewephoria – another brand name and a newbie at that. I predict this cheese will get younger as it gets popular because of increased demand/desire for profit. It’s about a 14 month aged sheep gouda right now. Sharp, salty and carmal-ly. Yes, I find the name embarrasssing. No, I don’t want to discus it.

Roncal -If you like Manchego, this is a stronger sheep milk cheese, made with raw milk and name-controlled. I don’t tend to like raw milk Manchegos, due to what I consider their bad balance of flavor. They’re often over-salty and gamey in a way I don’t like. Roncal is nutty like a Manchego but with a raw milk earthiness and a sharpness most Manchegos don’t have.

Blue des Basques - Strong creamy blue. There are very few Basque cheeses I don’t like.

The Americans:

Carr Valley – anything they make is pretty great. They make cow, goat, and sheep cheeses so check the label.
Sally Jackson Sheep - I wouldn’t bother with the cow, the goat is pretty good, but the sheep is her best. Wrapped in leaves and made in copper pots, she only makes a handful of wheels a week so it’s super pricey. Earthy, sweet, nutty and unique.
Vermont Shepherd – I love these people. They are seriously some of my favorite cheesemakers. When this cheese is on, it’s one of the best made in this country. Ask for a taste first though because sometimes cheesemongers, buying direct, buy too much at once. Not that I've ever done that.