MOUNTAIN CHEESE spicy, Whole Wheel | Aged 8 months | Austrian Lactose-free alpine hard cheese | Bergkäse würzig

The spicy Mountain Cheese wheel made from hay milk (highly digestible because it is lactose-free) is an outstanding hard cheese product from our Sennerei Rehmen in Au, representing a special Mountain Cheese specialty. Produced from premium hay milk, this cheese comes from cows fed exclusively with fresh grass and hay.

This traditional feeding gives the cheese an unparalleled intense flavor and highlights the exceptional quality for which the region is renowned.

After careful maturation for eight months, the spicy Mountain Cheese develops its robust, spicy aroma, refined through meticulous hand care in the natural cellar. This artisanal care ensures the cheese retains its characteristic texture and unique aroma.

A special feature of this cheese is the intensive care of its rind. It is gently massaged and treated with sodium chloride- and iodine-free salt and pure, right-handed spring water. This careful attention significantly contributes to the intense aroma and guarantees the superior quality of the final product.

Lactose-free Mountain Cheese: The natural milk sugar in our cheese made from hay milk is broken down by lactic acid bacteria. The result: lactic acid and exceptionally complex flavors and aromas.

This Mountain Cheese wheel is also lactose-free, making it accessible to people with lactose intolerance without compromising on taste.

With this spicy Mountain Cheese made from hay milk, you have a product in your hands that combines traditional cheese craftsmanship, the highest quality standards, and artisanal precision. Enjoy the intense aroma and the care infused into every wheel.

• The maturation period of 8 months allows the cheese to develop a wonderfully spicy aroma.
• Mountain Cheese is generally an indispensable part of the typical Vorarlberg gourmet cuisine.

Historical Background of Vorarlberg Mountain Cheese

Mountain Cheese has been produced and matured in Vorarlberg’s alpine and valley dairies since the early 20th century.

The production method of “fat cheese making” (as opposed to lean cheese making (Sura Käs in Montafon)) originally came from Switzerland and quickly spread in the Bregenzerwald.

The traditional Vorarlberg hard cheese is made from natural (non-thermized, non-pasteurized, or non-centrifugally sterilized) raw milk (hay milk) with at least 45% F.i.T.

The distinctive characteristics of Bregenzerwald Mountain Cheese are significantly influenced by the alpine milk used in production, its content and flavor or consistency, and by the Vorarlberg alpine flora.

The artisanal production and traditional care of the cheese have been preserved to this day thanks to small-scale farms supplying the raw material and the tradition of alpine dairies. This results in the special quality and long shelf life of spicy Vorarlberg Mountain Cheese.

For more interesting details about Mountain Cheese, visit Wikipedia or read about the rare “Vorarlberg Alp Cheese PDO” in our cheese wiki.