Berry’s Creek Mossvale Blue | Gippsland, VIC | Cow’s Milk | Blue Veined

Origin: South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia
Milk: Jersey cow’s milk
Style: Blue vein
Texture: Silky, dense, and spreadable
Rind: Natural
Aging: 8–10 weeks
Cheesemaker: Barry Charlton, Berry’s Creek Gourmet Cheese

What It Is

Mossvale Blue is the gateway drug of Australian blue cheese—lush, elegant, and unreasonably moreish. Made by master affineur Barry Charlton in the rolling green hills of South Gippsland, it’s crafted with rich, high-fat Jersey milk, which gives it an almost whipped, creamy body and golden hue.

Unlike the aggressive metallic or peppery blues of Roquefort or Gorgonzola Piccante, Mossvale whispers. It delivers a gentle blue spice in perfect balance with sweet lactic fat, finishing with a buttery softness that lingers on the tongue and refuses to be rushed.

This is the blue you give to people who say they don’t like blue. And it’s also the one you keep for yourself.

Taste and Texture

• Texture: Close-knit and creamy with a spoonable centre at full ripeness. The higher fat content from Jersey milk creates a dense, mouth-coating paste with a velvet finish.

• Veining: Fine and well-integrated, the blue mould (Penicillium roqueforti) is evenly distributed but restrained—punctuating, not dominating.

• Flavour:

  • Sweet cultured cream and fresh butter

  • Hints of mushroom, damp hay, and roasted nuts

  • Gentle blue tang—more savoury than spicy

  • Mild salt, no harsh ammonia or bitterness

The flavour balance is a result of controlled proteolysis and lipolysis, with the blue mould metabolising fat and protein just enough to yield savoury complexity without tipping into pungency. Aging in humid cellars allows for slow, even ripening and a tender, yielding texture.

Pairing Logic

Mossvale is about richness and restraint. Pairings should either sharpen its edges or echo its mellow charm.

Classic Matches:

• Tasmanian Pinot Noir or Beaujolais: Light reds with acidity and fruit

• Botrytised Riesling or Rutherglen Muscat: Sweet and acid to contrast the salt and fat

• Sauternes or Noble Rot Semillon: Gold-on-gold pairing—luxury on both sides

• Dark ale or milk stout: Roast and malt against blue creaminess

Non-alcoholic:

• Cold pear or apple juice – bright and fruity

• Rooibos tea – earthy-sweet, with soft tannin

• Kombucha (honey, chamomile, or white tea) – gentle acid and light funk

Avoid: heavy tannins, sour beers, citrus—these overwhelm the subtle blue character.

Serving Suggestions

Bring to room temperature at least 45–60 minutes before eating. Cold dulls both texture and flavour. Serve on a soft surface—dark rye, walnut bread, oat biscuits—or alongside poached pears, roasted hazelnuts, and a smear of quince or fig paste.

It’s also a sublime finish to a meal—cheese as dessert, especially with a sticky wine or fortified spirit.

Storage

Wrap in waxed paper or cheese paper and store in a sealed container in the fridge. Consume within 10–14 days of cutting. The cheese will soften and intensify gently—flavour will deepen, not sharpen. If surface moisture appears, blot gently and rewrap.

Pro tip: freeze the rind and leftover scraps. Add to sauces, risotto, or blue cheese butter for cooking.

Waste-Conscious Use

• Fold into warm mashed potato or polenta

• Crumble into pasta with walnuts and greens

• Spread under grilled figs or roasted grapes

• Melt over steak, mushroom burgers, or grilled field mushrooms

• Stir into scrambled eggs for a breakfast that doesn’t mess around

Mossvale Blue is proof that subtlety doesn’t mean boring. It’s blue cheese in its silkiest form—refined, seductive, and unreasonably easy to fall for. A quiet achiever from a cheesemaker who knows how to let milk speak without shouting.