Piave

Piave (pronounced pee AHV ay) is an Italian cow’s milk cheese, that is named after the Piave river in NE Italy.   

As Piave has a Protected Designation of Origin/DOP,  the only official Piave is produced in the Dolomites area, in the province of Belluno, in the northernmost tip of the Veneto region.  

Piave is a hard, cooked, pressed cheese made from the pasteurized milk of two milkings – morning and evening – of which one is usually skimmed.

Piave has a concentrated sweet, crystalline paste with a full, tropical fruit flavor and very slight almond bitterness. The texture of Piave is dense and smooth and firm, becoming harder as the cheeses mature. The interior paste is a rich, straw, buttery-yellow color, becoming slightly darker towards the rind.  

Piave has an intense, full-bodied, and distinctly tropical flavor that intensifies with age. There are distinct notes of pineapple, citrus and butterscotch, and caramel.

Piave bears some similarities to a lighter, younger version of Parmigiano Reggiano.  Milk is sourced from cows grazing the land adjacent to the river, and this is also the area where the cheesemaking and maturation of Piave take place.  

Aged for twelve months, Piave is wonderful as a table cheese, shaved over a salad of bitter greens, or enjoyed with an aperitif. Like Parmigiano, Piave has an affinity for both red and white wine but is smoother and easier to eat right from the wheel.   

Pasteurized cow’s milk, natural rennet.