Alongside the better-known Bettelmatt, Val d’Ossola is home to other alpine cheeses produced in very small quantities and known mainly to those who visit the area. One of these is Monscera, or Grasso d’Alpe Monscera, which is made on the pastures of upper Val Bognanco.
What is Monscera?
Monscera is a rich, semi-cooked cheese made with raw cow’s milk on Alpe Monsera, at an altitude of over 2,000 metres, during the summer months of July and August. As with Bettelmatt, it is the cows’ diet of high-mountain pasture herbs that gives it its distinctive flavour: intense, savoury, with herbaceous and barnyard notes typical of great alpine cheeses. Here too, production is very limited, amounting to only a few hundred wheels each year.
How to pair it with wine
As it is a rich cheese with a bold flavour, Monscera pairs well with a full-bodied red wine, capable of balancing its richness with tannins and acidity. It is a pairing worth trying at one of our tastings at the winery, perhaps comparing it directly with Bettelmatt to discover the differences between two seemingly similar alpine cheeses that are linked to different valleys in Ossola.
A niche product to discover
Due to its rarity, Monscera is found mainly at local dairies and specialist shops, as well as through some cheese refiners. It is a product worth seeking out for anyone wishing to truly discover the lesser-known flavours of Val d’Ossola.
For points of sale and availability, a useful reference is the profile of Grasso d’Alpe Monscera prepared by a specialist cheese refiner.
A cheese to get to know slowly
Precisely because of its extremely limited production, Monscera remains one of the best-kept secrets of Ossola gastronomy: getting to know it often means asking local cheesemakers or specialist shops directly, on a journey of discovery that is an integral part of the charm of this cheese, as rare as it is authentic.
A deep connection with the land
The production of Monscera, like that of Bettelmatt, demonstrates how some of Val d’Ossola’s finest products arise precisely from the most challenging conditions: high-altitude pastures, exceptionally short working seasons and limited quantities that make every wheel a small artisanal masterpiece, unique from year to year.
An excellence not to be missed
Anyone visiting the Bognanco area during the summer months, when Monscera is produced, should consider seeking out this cheese a small mission: an experience that makes it possible to discover an authentic, unrepeatable flavour, inextricably linked to a specific time of year and a specific alpine pasture.
A cheese to preserve
The very survival of products such as Monscera depends on the ability of new generations of shepherds and cheesemakers to continue a demanding trade that offers little reward in terms of volume, yet is invaluable from a cultural perspective: supporting these small producers, even simply through direct purchase, is a tangible way to help preserve a gastronomic heritage that would otherwise be at risk of disappearing.
One final note: the name “Monscera” itself recalls the alpine pass of the same name marking the border with Switzerland, bearing witness to the close connection between this cheese and the distinctive geography of its valley of origin.
A rare treasure, to be savoured slowly.
A small dairy treasure, to be discovered patiently.
A rare cheese, an experience not to be missed.
One final reflection on Monscera: its rarity is not a flaw but a virtue, the sign of a still authentic, non-industrialised connection with its land of origin.
A rare cheese, a valley to discover slowly.
The end.
A perfect dish also for those planning a food and wine weekend in Ossola: Monscera is ideal for tasting during a guided tasting alongside local wines, on a journey that brings together alpine pasture and vineyard in a single flavour experience.
