The small town of Gstaad, Switzerland is the ultimate destination for cheese lovers. Amid the breathtaking scenery of the Swiss Alps, a cheese grotto is aging 3,000 wheels of cheese underground. Above ground, visitors can enjoy fondue while sitting inside a giant fondue pot. Here's how to experience the Swiss cheese.
Suzie Dundas is an editor, author, and travel writer based in Lake Tahoe. She focuses on adventure travel, the outdoors, and unexpected destinations around the world.“You call me ‘Your Majesty,’” laughs René Ryser, as we stand halfway up a grassy slope overlooking the small town of Gstaad, Switzerland. “Because I am the king of cheese.”
The cheese grotto’s entrance is hidden behind a mural on what looks more like a garage for a lawnmower than a fromagerie repository. When you descend into the cool stone chamber, lit by dozens of candelabras, and see more than 3,000 wheels of cheese stacked top to bottom, it’s clear this is not your average backyard shed. Ryser estimates that the grotto holds about 1 million CHF worth of cheese , including the grotto’s oldest specimen: a cheese wheel produced in 1931.
Labor-intensive as cheesemaking by hand is, aging is equally demanding. Farmers need to rotate each hefty, 24-pound wheel regularly to ensure proper airflow, and for the first few weeks, the organic production methods of Alpenkäse demand daily salt baths to prevent bacteria. It then needs to age anywhere from 18 to 36 months, with each wheel demanding a custom timetable.
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