Cheese the way it used to be!
When farmers and their livestock move up to the alpine pastures in early summer, a very special season begins in Vorarlberg (Austria). For around 100 days, cheesemakers and their families live high in the mountains, where they transform fresh Hay Milk TSG directly on site into traditional Alma Vorarlberger Alpkäse PDO at altitudes of up to 1,700 metres (5,600 ft). The subtle differences of each alpine pasture – from its meadows and raw milk to the cheesemaker’s skill in copper vats over an open fire – create truly unique cheeses.
The alpine dairies are often small-scale operations, with some producing just a single wheel of cheese per day. It is precisely this authenticity that gives alpine cheese its distinctive character. The fresh mountain air, herb-rich meadows, raw milk and the individual craftsmanship of the cheesemakers give each alpine pasture its own unique flavour profile, resulting in cheeses that are genuine one-of-a-kind specialities.
Just a single wheel of alpine cheese is handcrafted each day at the Geißtobel alpine dairy in Austria.
Only cheese that is produced directly on the alpine dairy may be called alpine cheese. Around 50 traditional alpine dairies across Vorarlberg painstakingly craft this exceptional speciality for Alma by hand – exclusively during the summer months and therefore available only in limited quantities.
Alpine farming is an integral part of the traditional Three-Stage Alpine Farming that has shaped Vorarlberg’s cultural landscape for centuries. This sustainable interaction between the valley farms, intermediate mountain pastures (Vorsäß) and alpine pastures (Alp) allows livestock to be fed naturally on fresh grass and the finest hay and has been recognised by UNESCO as an element of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The result is a cheese that not only captures the taste of the Alps but also embodies a living piece of Vorarlberg’s cultural heritage.
Alpine cheese is true craftsmanship.
