Fancy Free Cheese rocks! Straight from the Alps to star on your cheese plates and in your fondue pots, Alpine-style cheeses at Whole Foods Market are here. Come to Free “Cheese Nights” on Tuesday, December 9 from 6-7:30 p.m. to sample Whole Foods Market’s selection and learn what makes the traditional technique of making these cheeses so special.

Whole Foods Market’s cheesemongers are true experts, and they love talking cheese, so join them in tasting top-notch selection of delicious cheeses and pairings. This event is free to the public.

What are Alpine-style Cheeses?

• They involve communal farming and cheesemaking with the peak season happening in winter.
• Traditionally made in the Jura Mountains and the Italian Alps
• Animals are moved up the pasture starting in May or June and moved down in Mid-September, this is known as Transhumance.
• Each region developed its own style and flavor due to herd size, remoteness and local preference.
• Cheeses are produced in mountain chalets where the cows graze.
• The buttery and nutty Alpine cheeses reflect rich, grassy flavors because of grazing.
• Wheels are stored in curing rooms or caves and kept at 50°-55° F for 4 months to a year or more.
• Cheesemakers check the cheese by thumping to hear if the cheese is ripening to expectations.

Some of our favorite Alpine-style cheeses include:

Le Maréchal
• A handmade raw milk cheese that is sprinkled with herbs while it matures, giving it a savory, rustic flavor.
• Pairs with: Shiraz, wheat beer, olives, dried figs, crostini, arugula—great in fondue.

Emmi Roth Käse
Pavino
• Created just for us by celebrated American cheesemakers in Wisconsin, this cow’s milk cheese has a crave-worthy piquant bite.
• Pairs with: Pinot grigio, pears, walnuts or dried apricots—great in grilled cheese sandwiches and fondue.

Comté Les Trois Comtois
• Aged raw cow’s milk cheese from the Jura region of the French Alps. Buttery, rich, mild and sweet.
• Pairs with: Chardonnay, altbier, dried apricots—great in French onion soup and cheese tarts.

Emmi Roth Käse
Emmentaler
• The best version of the original Swiss cheese that we all know and love. Made with raw milk. Sweet and nutty overtones and a sharp finish.
• Pairs with: Riesling, brown ale, green olives, Dijon mustard, baguette—great in ham and cheese sandwiches, scalloped potatoes.

Emmi Roth Käse
Grand Cru Surchoix
• An award-winning washed-rind, raw milk cheese made with single-sourced milk. Nutty with notes of caramel.
• Pairs with: Rioja, pilsner, nuts, dried figs or apricots, cured meats—great in risotto.

Uplands Cheese
Pleasant Ridge Reserve
• Raw-milk, Alpine-style cheese from Wisconsin. One of the most-awarded chesses in American history. Smooth and earthy with mushroom overtones.
• Pairs with: Cabernet sauvignon, barleywine, pineapple, green grapes, brown bread, honeycomb—great in omelets.