The cheeses shown are, clockwise from the 6 o’clock position, Jasper Hill Farm’s Constant Bliss cow’s milk cheese, Sally Jackson sheep’s milk (white cheese wrapped with chestnut leaves), Grayson washed-rind (yellow cheese with orange rind), and Truffle Tremor goat’s milk (white cheese with milky white rind), Trailhead cow’s milk, Hook’s Cheddar, Rogue River Blue and Vella Dry Jack. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
Cows milk: Start with a mild, creamy cows milk cheese such as a triple-crème; Constant Bliss, above, is dense and salty, more like French Chaource. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
Sheep’s milk: Aged sheep’s milk cheeses peak in fall. This chestnut leaf-wrapped cheese, aged two to four months, is from Sally Jackson. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
Goats milk: A soft goats milk cheese can be fall-appropriate, such as when it is ribboned with ash or flecked with truffles, like Cypress Groves Truffle Tremor. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
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Washed-rind: There are more domestic soft, washed-rind options than ever. Here, Grayson is a rich, pungent semi-soft cheese from West Virginia. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
Alpine-style: Some of the best U.S. cheeses are sweet, nutty Alpine-style cheeses, glorious in the fall. This one is Trailhead Tomme from Washington. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
Cheddar: Big-flavored, great-for-the-holidays cheddar is a universal crowd pleaser. Caramel-y crystalline granules distinguish Wisconsins Hooks Cheddar. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
Blue: Rogue Creamery releases its Rogue River Blue cheese, wrapped in brandy-soaked grape leaves, in the fall, and it probably likely will be all gone by January. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
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Hard: Aged hard cheeses are great this time of year because of their full flavors and their heft. One of the California classics is Vella Dry Jack. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
