It is made only in the Vallée de Joux and the foothills of the Vaud Jura, only from mid-August to the end of March, and wrapped in a band of spruce bark that gives its flavor a faint resin note.
Its French twin, Mont d'Or, is made from raw milk; the Swiss cheese uses thermized milk. The comparison of the Vacherins sorts out the three cheeses with the name, and the Mont d'Or page covers the French one in depth.
Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese at a glance
This is Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese at a glance, taken from the Swiss PDO-PGI Association.
| Detail | Vacherin Mont d'Or |
|---|---|
| Milk | Cow's milk, gently thermized |
| Made in | Vallée de Joux and Vaud Jura foothills, Switzerland |
| Protected name | AOP, registered June 16, 2003 |
| Season | Made August 15 to March 31 |
| Ripening | At least 17 days, washed and turned |
| Box | Four round sizes, 350 g to 3 kg |
| Texture | Slightly fluid, soft, undulating washed crust |
Where Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese comes from
Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese is protected as a Swiss AOP, registered on June 16, 2003, and the area includes the districts of Vallée de Joux, Orbe, Grandson and Morges. The cows may not eat fermented fodder. The same Swiss page records that the name belongs to Switzerland as much as France, which is why the labels differ: the French side shortened it to Mont d'Or. The guide to PDO and PGI labels explains the seal.
How Vacherin Mont d'Or is made
Vacherin Mont d'Or is made from raw milk delivered twice a day and thermized before cheesemaking, a mild heat treatment short of pasteurization. Each cheese gets its band of spruce bark, goes into a spruce box slightly smaller than the cheese so the top ripples, and ripens at least 17 days with regular washing and turning. The short, wet ripening is why the paste ends up fluid.
What Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese tastes like
Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese tastes creamy, slightly salty and only mildly acidic, with spruce resin and a mushroomy edge from the washed crust. Young, the center is still a little firm; ripe, it flows. Eat the thin crust with the paste; the Swiss cheese marketers describe the flavor as delicate and mild, with a trace of tannin from the firwood, and say it is eaten from a spoon at room temperature or warmed in the oven with new potatoes or crunchy bread. The resin note comes from the band and the box, not from added flavor.
How to buy Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese in the US
Buying Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese in the US is a seasonal hunt, because the Swiss cheese counts as unpasteurized under FDA rules and the cheese is ripened only weeks, so it is generally not sold here. The season in Switzerland runs from the fall, so any real box appears in the winter months. Look for the spruce box and the AOP seal; the comparison page lists US cheeses made in the same style, including Jasper Hill's Winnimere.
How to serve and cook with Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese
Serve Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese either cold, with a spoon, or baked in its box. To bake it, heat the oven to 400 F (200 C), poke holes in the top, push in slivers of garlic, add a spoonful of dry white wine, wrap the box in foil with the top open and bake 15 to 25 minutes until the center is molten. Take it out when the center is molten. Dip in boiled potatoes, crusty bread and cornichons.
What to serve with Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese
What to serve with Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese is mostly warm and plain: boiled potatoes, crusty bread, garlic and cured ham. For drinks, Vin Jaune is the classic Jura partner, with Chardonnay or Champagne as alternatives, and Saison, wheat beer or Bière de Garde on the beer side. Apple and grapes cut the richness. The pairing guide has more.
Substitutes for Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese
Substitutes for Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese are camembert, brie and Reblochon, baked or served ripe. A whole boxed camembert baked like the Vacherin is the easiest US swap, though it lacks the spruce note; Reblochon has the closer savor. The substitute finder has other options.
How to store Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese
Store Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese in its box in the fridge and eat it within a few days of opening, since it is soft and ripens fast. Keep it covered loosely, never in tight plastic. See the storing cheese guide.
What most Vacherin Mont d'Or advice gets wrong
Most Vacherin Mont d'Or advice mixes up the cheeses and skips the box.
Vacherin Mont d'Or is not Vacherin Fribourgeois
Vacherin Mont d'Or is not Vacherin Fribourgeois: the first is a spoonable soft cheese in a spruce box, the second a semi-hard fondue cheese.
The box is part of the cheese
The box is part of the cheese, because it shapes the rind and adds the resin note, so bake it in the box rather than transferring it to a dish.
Questions about Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese
These are the questions about Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese that come up most.
Is Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese the same as Mont d'Or?
Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese is the Swiss twin of French Mont d'Or, which is made from raw milk in the Doubs.
When is Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese available?
Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese is made from August 15 to March 31, so it is a fall and winter cheese.
Can you eat the rind of Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese?
You can eat the rind of Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese, but not the spruce band or the box.
Can you bake Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese?
You can bake Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese in its box, which is the classic way to serve it.
Your first Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese
For your first Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese, bake a box in winter with garlic and white wine and serve it with potatoes. If you cannot find one, bake a camembert the same way.
Sources
- Vacherin Mont-d'Or AOP, Swiss PDO-PGI Association
- Vacherin Mont-d'Or AOP, Switzerland Cheese Marketing
- Vacherin Mont-d'Or AOP, Interprofession du Vacherin Mont-d'Or