Etivaz Gruyere
Supplied by: The Courtyard Dairy | Delivery Details
A step-back in time, Etivaz remains true to the ancient traditions of Alpine cheese making, and showcases how Gruyère would have been made hundreds of years ago. Made only in the months of May to October in small Alpine chalets, the milk is sourced from cows that graze the high-mountain pasture. An outstanding example of traditional cheese making.
Every year, once the snow has melted, sixty-nine producers return to their Alpine chalets high up in the Swiss Alps for the summer. With their cows grazing the lush, diverse mountain pastures, these small family farms set about creating a Gruyère style cheese the way it has been done for hundreds of years.
Each cheese is made by hand in these small Alpine chalets: the milk is warmed and the curd heated in copper cauldrons hanging over open log fires, which imparts a saline, smoky note to the cheese, and accentuates the classic, supple, sweet butterscotch-and-caramel nutty notes of the best Gruyeres. The cheese is made naturally using homemade starter cultures, to truly capture their terroir.
At barely a few days old the cheese wheels are transported down the mountain to the aging cellars in the mountain village of Etivaz, where the farmer-owned cooperative takes care of ageing and selling the cheeses.
Frederic and Irene Chabloz, one of the prized Etivaz producers who make this cheese, are part of this cooperative. Their chalet is set 1550 metres above sea level, they farm just 24 traditionally-bred Swiss cows, and they make only two small wheels of Etivaz each day. The Chabloz family product stands out as a true and excellent example of how good Etivaz can be.
Ingredients: Milk, salt, cheese cultures and rennet.
This product will have two weeks shelf life from the date of delivery.
