There's vintage wine and good and better years for olive oil. Some single malt scotch is vintage dated. So the question to you foodies is----is there such a thing as a good/best year designation for Parmigiana?

The best cheeses are from what are called the head and tails of the year, when the cow is eating fresh grasses. Summer is too hot and the winter the grasses are not fresh. September, October and November in the fall and March April May in the spring. The month is impressed into the side of the cheese when it is made.

Cheeses are said to be best at 24 months though some like them 30 or 36 months old.

I would bet that there are some consistent differences in very hot years vs very cool years etc, but I have never made any associations. The difference between a wine and a cheese is that the grape is fixed in place and has limited reactions to its environment. The cow has a complex feedback system that regulated the milk making process. Mammals need to provide a consistent food for their young regardless of the weather. THis feedback system will dampen the variations, but the year might affect how much fresh grass there is for the cow. I don't think the weather variation will make as much difference as the location of the farm and the skill of the cheesemaker.

I like to look for low number cheeses (there is a 3 or 4 digit number on the side of the cheese. If the number is 999 or less, the cheese was made in the original zome of production between Reggio nell'Emilia and Parma. The cheeses that come from the hlls here are the best. Today Parmigiano is made from Bologna to Modena to the far side of Parma. That means a lot of what used to be granna is not Reggiano!!!

Damn! So if I get another wheel back here I'll send you a Kilo. Great info.
Thanks