Cheese specialities from Vorarlberg
From Alp Cheese to Goat’s-Cheese Camembert
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01 Alp Cheese
This protected-designation Alp Cheese is an extra special seasonal speciality that is only produced at mountain pasture dairies from May to September. Freshly milked Alp-hay milk is processed raw into Alp Cheese by hand at the Alp dairy. The tantalizing aroma has hints of dried fruit, biscuit, malt and cream whilst the cheese’s flavour has notes of sour cream, milk, butter, wheat bread and almond. The initially crumbly texture of the cheese quickly becomes smooth and complements the overall tempting taste experience.
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02 Bachensteiner Cheese
This sophisticated soft cheese features a prominent aroma with hints ranging from ammonia, fresh yeast and sour cream to biscuit and roasted white bread. Once tasted, the palate is treated to a harmonious ensemble of delicious cream, buttermilk, yeast, vanilla pod and cooked potatoes. The texture is creamy and supple with an almost silky fragility that melts wonderfully in the mouth.
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03 Mountain Cheese
This Vorarlberg Mountain Cheese with its protected-designation status is produced at dairies using hay milk (i.e. from cows, which are not fed silage). The quality of the milk, centuries-old cheese-making methods, and a careful, month-long maturation process (6, 8, 12 months) transform this hard cheese into a true cheese speciality and grant it a tangy taste. Pineapple and other fruits enliven the aroma that contains hints of marzipan. The texture is compact and smooth, coating the palate with a delicate melted layer that exudes aromatic hints of cocoa.
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04 Camembert
With an unmistakable aroma of mushrooms, Camembert is an exemplary soft cheese that also exudes hints of moss, butter, sour cream and yeast, as well as classic hints of ammonia. Meanwhile, the aroma of mushrooms is not lost on the palate. The tastes of fresh and sour creams emerge and connote a mildly acidic flavour that is complemented by the supple-creamy texture featuring a mix of chestnut, malt and yeast.
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05 Emmentaler
Naturally lactose free, Emmentaler develops its characteristically nutty flavour and wonderfully regular perforations during maturation. The fine aroma of slightly sweet milk is complemented by the aroma of pineapple, citrus and Muscat. Once enjoyed, the palate is treated to the tastes of milk and almonds, citrus fruits and hazelnut. Initially somewhat friable, the compact structure is increasingly soft in the middle.
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06 Herbal Cheese
The aroma alone lives up to the expectations set by cheese’s name and appearance: A rich bouquet of colourful Alpine herbs with plenty of thyme as well as fresh hay and buttermilk. These aromatic ingredients are interwoven into the cheese’s elastically smooth structure, which transport these flavours to the palate. Its unmistakable taste, a harmonious mix of cheese and a select coating of fine herbs, unfurls during enjoyment. During a special manufacturing process, juniper and rosemary are refined to complement the cheese’s unique taste. These special elements can be consumed and are not purely decorative.
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07 Rässkäse Cheese
The Vorarlberg dialect expression “räss” is used to express something that’s zesty and intense and this is exactly how a cheese designed for authentic Vorarlberg Kässpätzle should taste. Rässkäse cheese has a unique character with a tangy aroma of malt, leather and ammonia. The compact structure breaks apart slowly and produces a creamy sensation in the mouth. The aromas remain intensively on the palate, with hints of roasted onion, caramel and savoury to spicy notes.
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08 Sura Kees Cheese
Sura Kees cheese from Montafon is a regional speciality. Although Sura Kees is a low-fat cheese, it’s in no way short on taste. Initially fresh and tangy, mildly aromatic and reminiscent of cream cheese, its taste becomes mildly spicy to sour, always with a somewhat subtle, salty undertone. Low in fat and cholesterol but high in protein, Sura Kees is an excellent alternative to other cheese varieties for the figure-conscious.
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09 Tilsiter
Tilsiter has a very subtle aroma, which first reminds of fresh buttermilk and then cream, progressing to cooked potatoes, passion fruit, biscuit, and light caramel. Its similarities to buttermilk are most readily apparent to the palate. A taste combination of malt, hazelnut and sweet apple add more intense notes to the mix. With a classically friable and supple structure, it’s satisfyingly tender and melts in the mouth.
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10 Goat’s-Cheese Camembert
This soft cheese features a vegetal fragrance evoking mushrooms, cauliflower, moss, live wood, walnut and yoghurt. The taste is nearly identical to the smell, with hints of mushroom and cooked asparagus for good measure. Meanwhile, walnut, sour cream and yeast add variety to the flavour. The creamy and supple texture melts wonderfully in the mouth and creates a pleasant sensation.
