Flavors of Savoy

The making of the Vacherin du Mont d'Or goes back to when the borders between countries were less defined and this had, until recently, led to arguments between France and Switzerland as to who had first made the cheese and who had rights over the cheese. Recently, an agreement was reached and the French will soon call their cheese Vacherin du Haut Doubs whilst the Swiss cheese will be known as Vacherin du Mont d'Or. Although these problems have been officially resolved, confusion still exists with the cheese still being referred to as simply Vacherin, or Mont d'Or or Vacherin Mont d'Or.

Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese is shaped in cloth-lined moulds then encircled with a strip of spruce bark and washed with brine for at least three weeks. The spruce imparts a resinous flavor to the pale interior of the cheese which becomes almost liquid as it matures. The undulating golden crust, tinged with pink, shows faint cloth markings. Before eating the cheese the top rind is removed from the cheese and the paste is spooned out.

Vacherin Mont d'Or gourmet cheese first gained its AOC status on 24th March 1982. The first cheese each year is ready at the end of September and Vacherin Mont d'Or is a popular cheese at Christmas time.