The making of a masterpiece

It’s a ritual that has taken place every morning for hundreds of years and is still going strong today. As the sun rises over the mountains, farmers deliver fresh milk to dairies across the Swiss alps, where it is gratefully received by the cheesemaker.

It marks the beginning of a magical process of alchemy that sees liquid raw milk turned into hard cheese that can be aged for a year or more. The morning milk is mixed with evening milk, which has been left to settle overnight, in a copper vat. The vat is important – only copper can be used under the terms of Le Gruyère’s AOP, partly because it has long been the tradition, but also because it distributes heat more evenly and contributes to the cheese’s unique flavour and texture.

The milk is left raw and unpasteurised, so that the unique microflora and flavours are not damaged. Likewise natural starter cultures made from whey are used to kick-start the cheesemaking process, ensuring a diverse family of lactic acid bacteria are introduced to the milk

NATURALLY LACTOSE-FREE

Shoppers who are intolerant to lactose often believe they can’t eat cheese, but a well informed cheesemonger knows better.

Le Gruyère AOP is naturally free of lactose because the sugar in the milk is fermented into lactic acid during the production process and the long maturation period. The cheese is also glutenfree and contains no GMOs.

This is good news for concerned consumers and for cheesemongers, who can tap into growing demand for free-from foods. According to research, the global market for lactose-free cheeses is growing at 8% a year and is due to more than double in the next decade.

More importantly, if you can explain to a lactose-intolerant customer that it safe for them to eat Le Gruyère AOP, they will love you forever.

rather than the limited range found in the lab-grown frozen bacteria used by many industrial producers.

Once the milk has matured, traditional rennet is added to create a dense curd in the vat. It’s a remarkable thing to see liquid become solid thanks to a natural enzyme extracted from the stomach of a calf.

At this point, cheesemaking starts to gather pace in the warm, steamy dairy. The curd is cut into tiny pieces the size of grains of wheat with knives known as cheese harps (‘tranche-caillé). This

DID YOU KNOW?

At four months, the wheels of cheese are checked and taxed by experts of the Interprofession du Gruyère association, according to very precise and rigorous quality criteria. They can display the name Le Gruyère AOP only after this taxation.

DID YOU KNOW?

Only open copper vats with a maximum capacity of 6,600 litres can be used to make Le Gruyère AOP.

helps separate the curd from whey, a process that is encouraged by heating and stirring the curd at 57°C (135°F) for 40-45 minutes. The cheesemaker carefully checks the curd by hand kneading the small grains together to check the texture and when completely satisfied pumps the contents of the vat (curds and whey) into round moulds, where the whey rapidly drains away.

Each mould is marked on its outer edge (the ‘heel’) with the inscription ‘Le Gruyère AOP’. A marking made with casein (a natural protein found in milk) is made on the curd, indicating the number of the cheese wheel and of the cheese dairy, plus the manufacturing date. It is then pressed for about twenty hours, with an applied force of up to 900kg to help further squeeze whey from the curd and create a smooth paste, before each wheel is brined for 24 hours.

In many ways this is only the start of the journey for Le Gruyère AOP. The maturation process is as much a part of the cheese’s production process as the initial make. Traditionally, cheesemakers look after their young wheels, which weigh between 2540kg, in their cellars for around three months, before they are passed on to specialist cheese maturers, known as an ‘affineurs’. There are 11 affineurs in the production region, who carefully ripen the cheeses to perfection in ‘caves d’affinage’ - maturing cellars that are kept a constant 90% humidity and 1218°C (59°F) temperature. The wheels are also turned and brushed with brine to create a golden, orange rind with a wonderful rich aroma.

How long affinage lasts is up to the cellar masters, who have decades of experience in developing cheeses to their full potential and use all their senses to assess the cheeses, taking samples with their cheese irons to inspect the appearance, texture, aroma and taste. They even tap the wheels to listen for any cracks or other defaults. Some cheeses will be ready at five months. Others will reach their full potential and 18 or even 24 months.

There are so many factors that can influence the final cheese. From the weather and the geographical location of the farm and the dairy to the knowhow of the cheese-maker and the refiner, each cheese follows a slightly different path as it develops its own unique character.

The Four Faces Of Le Gruy Re Aop

Le Gruyère AOP

Aged for six to nine months, the Classic cheese has a soft pliable texture and a delicate aroma. The flavour is pleasant and sweet with sweet milk and butter notes, plus hints of hazelnuts and a gentle savoury finish.

Le Gruyère AOP Réserve

An older cheese that is matured for at least 10 months, but often much longer, Le Gruyère AOP Réserve is a much more intense experience. The texture becomes increasingly firm and crumbly as it ages with a full-bodied, fruity flavour that often takes in savoury notes (especially near the rind).

Le Gruyère AOP Bio

Made from organic milk produced according to the standards set by BioSuisse, the cheese is similar in style to the Classic and Réserve, starting out with a gentle refined flavour at six to nine months, before becoming more intense at 10 months and above.

Le Gruyère d’Alpage AOP

A seasonal cheese that is made between mid-May and mid-October high up on mountain pastures, where the cows graze a remarkably diverse array of herbs, flowers and wild grasses.

The raw milk is turned into 25kg wheels in small chalets, where cheesemakers work with copper cauldrons hung over open wood fires, and press the cheeses in cloth. At the beginning of autumn, the Alpine herdsmen and their cows come back down from the mountains for the winter in a celebration known as the ‘désalpe’.