Nibble and sip your way along Northern California’s Cheese Trail

The blue cheese ice cream sandwiched between gingerbread cookies at Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. isn’t the only surprise in Northern California’s wine country. “On the map” is not just a figure of speech: California’s official Cheese Trail map shows almost 80 cheesemakers, with the highest concentration in wine country north of San Francisco. Owner Donna Pacheco brings visitors to the open-air milking parlor and “loafing” barn “to see the animals, their shiny coat and how healthy they are.” Cheesemaking classes are on hold until the pandemic subsides a bit more, but in the meantime, don’t miss tasting the Broncha, a European-style hard cheese with notes of hazelnut and sweet grasses, made with goat and cow milk. It’s like trying to get a Beyoncé ticket, though Basch said, with an inadvertent cheese pun that’s probably an occupational hazard, “We do churn through the waitlist: There is always hope.” If you go Achadinha Cheese Co., 750 Chileno Valley Road, Petaluma; 763-1025, Epicurean Connection, 19670 8th St. East, Sonoma; 235-9530, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co., 14700 Shoreline Highway, Point Reyes Station; 663-8880, Ramini Mozzarella, 175 Gericke Road, Tomales; 690-6633