Vorarlberger Bergkäse

Vorarlberger Bergkäse, meaning “Vorarlberg mountain cheese,” is a traditional hard cheese associated with the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is defined not simply by a name or recipe but by a regional production system encompassing raw milk, Alpine agriculture, manual cheesemaking and specific geographical limits. The cheese is protected under the European Union’s protected designation of origin framework, which restricts production to designated areas and establishes requirements for the milk, farming methods and manufacturing process. The cheese is produced from natural raw milk supplied by farms that primarily practice grassland agriculture. Silage production and silage feeding are excluded from the approved production system; the milk is therefore commonly described as hay milk. Milk must be delivered to the dairy at least once daily and processed promptly. Traditional production uses natural rennet and manual methods. Approved production areas include the Bregenzerwald, Großwalsertal, Kleinwalsertal, Leiblachtal around the Pfänderstock and parts of the Rhine Valley. Mountain and Alpine dairies are central to the product’s identity. Vorarlberger Bergkäse is generally formed into large round wheels approximately 55 to 65 centimetres in diameter, with individual wheels weighing up to about 35 kilograms. Standard maturation lasts roughly three to six months, although selected cheeses may mature for two years or longer. The cheese has a dry-matter fat content of approximately 45 percent. Its flavour develops from mild to more pronounced and spicy as it ages, with nutty and herbal notes. In the Bregenzerwald style, small holes are regarded as a positive quality characteristic. The product is closely connected with Vorarlberg’s Alpine transhumance tradition. In the Bregenz Forest, cattle are moved seasonally between valley meadows and higher mountain pastures. From approximately May through October, the animals graze on Alpine pastures, while valley meadows provide hay for the winter. This system avoids the need for silage and links the cheese’s sensory profile and production rules to local land management. During the summer Alpine season, milk may be processed into Alpkäse; from autumn through spring, milk is used for Bergkäse. Cheesemaking in the Bregenz Forest has deep historical roots. Alpine livestock keeping and cheese production are associated with early settlement and pastoral practices in the region. Until the seventeenth century, sour cheese was the dominant form. After the Thirty Years’ War, herdsmen from Switzerland’s neighbouring Appenzell canton brought the technique known as fat senning to the Bregenz Forest. Unlike sour-cheese production, fat senning uses whole, non-skimmed milk to make a firm cheese. Its adoption helped establish the hard-cheese tradition from which Vorarlberger Bergkäse developed. By the eighteenth century, production had expanded beyond local consumption and was organised for export, particularly to Italy. In the modern period, the cheese also functions as a vehicle for regional tourism and agricultural preservation. The Bregenzerwald Cheese Route, established in 1998, connects farmers, dairies, craftspeople and merchants. It presents production traditions to visitors through tours, demonstrations and tastings. Vorarlberger Bergkäse is consequently positioned as both a food specialty and an expression of Alpine cultural heritage, with authenticity, traceable regional sourcing, animal husbandry and long-established craft methods forming its central value proposition.

Vorarlberger Bergkäse emerged from the long Alpine dairy tradition of Vorarlberg, particularly the Bregenz Forest. Pastoral livestock keeping and the use of mountain pastures have shaped the region’s agriculture for centuries. Historical accounts associate early Alpine farming in the area with Celtic settlement, although the later development of the modern cheese style is more directly linked to changes in cheesemaking practice. Until the second half of the seventeenth century, sour cheese was the principal cheese type made in the Bregenz Forest. After the Thirty Years’ War, herdsmen from the neighbouring Swiss canton of Appenzell travelled into the region and introduced local farmers to fat senning. This technique retained the milk’s fat rather than skimming it before cheesemaking, enabling the production of a firm, full-fat hard cheese. The method became established in Vorarlberg and is regarded as a formative influence on the development of Bergkäse. By the middle of the eighteenth century, the region produced more hard cheese than could be consumed within Vorarlberg. Production and trade consequently became more organised, and cheese was sold beyond the region, especially into Italy. This wider trade helped establish the economic importance of Alpine dairying and connected local agricultural practices with external markets. The traditional production system remained tied to seasonal cattle movement. During the warmer months, cattle grazed on higher Alpine pastures, where milk was processed into Alpine cheese. During the colder part of the year, cattle were kept in lower valleys and fed hay from local meadows. The absence of silage from the approved farming system is an important distinction of the modern product specification and supports the description of the milk as hay milk. Modern protection rules formalised the geographical and production identity of Vorarlberger Bergkäse. Production is limited to specified parts of Vorarlberg and must use natural raw milk, traditional manual methods and defined quality controls. The cheese may be made in Alpine dairies and other approved dairies within the designated areas, provided the requirements for farming, milk collection and processing are met. The product’s cultural role was strengthened in 1998 with the creation of the Bregenzerwald Cheese Route. This organisation links agricultural producers, dairies, craftspeople, traders and tourism activities. It gives visitors opportunities to observe cheesemaking and take part in tastings, while also supporting the preservation of local dairy production and the agricultural heritage on which the cheese depends.

• 1998

  Bregenzerwald Cheese Route established

  [1]Vorarlberger Bergkäseen.wikipedia.org

  The Bregenzerwald Cheese Route was founded to connect local farmers, dairies, craftspeople and merchants and to present regional cheesemaking to visitors.

• 1750

  Expansion of hard-cheese trade

  [1]Vorarlberger Bergkäseen.wikipedia.org

  By the middle of the eighteenth century, Vorarlberg produced enough hard cheese to require organised sales outside the region, particularly to Italy.

• 1648

  Postwar spread of fat senning

  [1]Vorarlberger Bergkäseen.wikipedia.org

  After the Thirty Years’ War, herdsmen from Appenzell helped introduce fat senning to Bregenz Forest farmers, supporting the transition from predominantly sour cheese to full-fat hard cheese.

• Early Alpine dairy tradition

  [1]Vorarlberger Bergkäseen.wikipedia.org

  Pastoral farming and Alpine livestock management established the agricultural foundations for cheese production in the Bregenz Forest and wider Vorarlberg region.

• European geographical protection

  [1]Vorarlberger Bergkäseen.wikipedia.org

  Vorarlberger Bergkäse received protection within the European designation-of-origin system, formalising its geographical scope and production requirements.

A protected Alpine regional specialty positioned around raw hay milk, traditional manual production, seasonal pasture farming, natural rennet, long maturation and the culinary heritage of Vorarlberg.

• Protected regional hard cheese

  Vorarlberger Bergkäse

  The core product is a large, round, firm cheese made exclusively from natural raw milk under the protected regional specification. Approved milk comes from predominantly grassland farms that do not produce or feed silage. The milk must be delivered at least daily and processed promptly. Traditional manual cheesemaking and natural rennet are required. Wheels are typically about 55 to 65 centimetres in diameter and can weigh up to approximately 35 kilograms. Maturation commonly lasts three to six months, while selected wheels may be matured for two years or longer. Flavour ranges from mild to spicy, with nutty and herbal characteristics.

• Regional style

  Bregenzerwald Bergkäse

  Bregenzerwald Bergkäse refers to the style associated with the Bregenz Forest, one of the principal production areas for Vorarlberger Bergkäse. Small holes in the cheese are considered a desirable quality feature. Its profile can range from relatively mild in younger examples to distinctly spicy and developed in longer-matured wheels, while retaining the characteristic nutty and herbal notes of the regional hard-cheese tradition.

1. 1Vorarlberger Bergkäseen.wikipedia.org