Candidate #1: a 3-month old Manchego by Spanish producer Coqueya named for the La Mancha region (Don Quixote, anyone? "I am I, Don Quixote, the Lord of La Mancha, my destiny calls and I go..." - darn you, Quantum Leap). It is subject to PDO regulation, which is terrific for manufacturers. Accept no substitutes. 42 grams were $1.68 with a kg price of $39.90. It was one of my first sheep's milk cheeses and was all right. It was vaguely crumbly - it doesn't take a lot of effort to get smaller pieces, they just might be smaller than anticipated. The rind had narrow diagonal dark brown/black striping and I hoped it was edible, because I did eat it. The overall taste and texture impression was reminiscent of Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano, not Grana Padano) and would do well as a Parmesan substitute. My label did not list nutritional information. Wiki says the fat content would be a minimum of 6.5% while other sites list the average as in excess of 50% in dry matter.
Candidate #2: Hawes Wensleydale from Neal's Yard Dairy. The Wensleydale, preferred cheese of both Wallace and Gromit, from Hawes, North Yorkshire. Application for PDO status has been made by the Wensleydale Creamery, Neal's is the distributor for them. A pale, pale yellow in colour, it has good solidity so a cut at room temperature would not squish the slice or the piece you're cutting it from. The rind is natural - no paraffin, butter, or ash in sight. The cheese is made from cow's milk. Taste-wise, I thought it a bit bland. I know there are smoked versions of Wensleydale as well as a cranberry one (which I have tried and it is very nice), but on its own, I found it lacking. It absolutely needs a nice glass of wine or fruit or tasty bread to bring it to life, and then, I imagine the flavour can become much more complex. My 56 gram piece was $4.31 (kg price is $76.90). My label did not list nutritional information, but after a bit of a search online, I was told by Live Strong (because everywhere else required a calorie counting account) that a 1-oz piece has around 7 g of fat (but no trans fats) and 100 calories.
Candidate #3: Tournevent's Chevre Noir. From Chesterville, Quebec (the Bois Francs/Centre du Quebec region) and as the name suggests, a goat's milk cheese. This traditionally is not an issue for me - I do enjoy a creamy Chevre cheese that spreads evenly and beautifully on a piece of dark rye or pumpernickel. My 54 gram piece was $3.94 ($72.20 per kg). The rind of Le Chevre Noir is not edible; it is of black wax and is the origin of the name. All I got was sharpness in flavour. The taste had very little flavour texture to it. The cheese is whiteish-yellow in colour and the texture is that of a solid cheese. It would be okay on a cheese board with other cheeses, but on its own, it was the first one I've tried in a long time that I really did not like. I even contemplated not eating the rest of it, that's how unenjoyable I found it. I may eat it if at a wine & cheese, but unless I need a cheese that fits the particular niche of this one, I will not be picking it up again.
Manchego photo from: http://www.coqueya.com/web/english/marco.html
Wensleydale photo from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/5000965/Wallace-and-Gromits-favourite-Wensleydale-helps-British-food-exports-surge.html
Le Chevre Noir photo from: http://www.chasingthecheese.com/noir.htm
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