The battle for Gruyere Cheese

When countries band together to patent the name of a cheese, you better believe they are passionate about their heritage & craft.

With Gruyere Cheese being hard to find in NZ, we’re very glad they haven’t tried to stop our NZ cheesemakers calling their Gruyere cheese exactly what it is. Barrys Bay cheesemakers do an outstanding job in making this cheese, much to the delight of our Cheese Wheelers/subscribers when it’s delivered in The Cheese Wheel curated NZ artisan cheese box.

Gruyère is a hard Swiss cheese that originated in the cantons of Fribourg, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Jura, and Berne in Switzerland. It is named after the town of Gruyères in Fribourg. In 2001, Gruyère gained the appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC), which became the appellation d’origine protégée (AOP) as of 2013.

Gruyère is made from whole cow’s milk and is usually aged for six months or longer, producing a pale-yellow cheese with very few holes. The flavor begins creamy, nutty, and a little bit earthy, but the longer its aged, the more complex it will be.

What is in a cheese name? Read more in this article from Culture Cheese Magazine here.