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Cheese from Austria, Vorarlberg, officially recognised alpine farms and Vorsäß/Maisäß pastures at about 1,000–1,800 m

Vorarlberger Alpkäse PDOVorarlberger Alpkäse

Vorarlberger Alpkäse is a hard cheese made only in summer on Vorarlberg's alpine pastures, from raw milk of cows fed no silage. The evening milk stands overnight in wooden tubs so cream can be skimmed for alpine butter, then joins the morning milk in a copper kettle. The curd is cooked to 51–54 °C, pressed, brined for two to three days and ripened at least three months while the rind is brushed with salt water.

Fully documentedCheese3.1 monthsPDO (EU, 1997; specification amendments approved by Regulation (EU) 2023/1690)Family: Cooked hard alpine cheese family (Comté, Gruyère and Emmentaler as templates)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe specification fixes limits, not a recipe. Wheels weigh up to 35–40 kg; the season on the alp lasts three to four months.
Raw alpine cow milkNot thermised, centrifuged or pasteurised; no silage or fermented feed; milk from valley farms banned[bmluk-alp][val-app1996]
Lactic acid bacteria cultures[bmluk-alp][val-app1996]
RennetNot from genetically engineered sources[val-app1996]
SaltFor a brine of about 20 °Bé and for washing the rind[bmluk-alp]
No preservatives, stabilisers or chemical additives[bmluk-alp][val-app1996]
Starterlactic acid bacteria cultures; the part-skimmed evening milk is pre-ripened with a whey or lactic acid bacteria culture

Total time across the recorded steps: 3.1 months

Start
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What changes: Starting material: raw milk from cows grazing summer alpine pastures

Step 1 of 9
Milk the cows on the alp
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Cheese is made only in the summer season, when the herd grazes the alpine pastures. Milk from valley farms is banned. The 1996 application had the milk processed on site; the current text lets approved alp dairies in the area pass milk to each other, with a delivery slip.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Vorarlberger Alpkäse is a hard cheese made only in summer on Vorarlberg's alpine pastures, from raw milk of cows fed no silage. The evening milk stands overnight in wooden tubs so cream can be skimmed for alpine butter, then joins the morning milk in a copper kettle. The curd is cooked to 51–54 °C, pressed, brined for two to three days and ripened at least three months while the rind is brushed with salt water. Made in 9 steps over 3.1 months. The longest step, ripen at least three months, takes at least 3 months (Bundesministerium für Land- und Forstwirtschaft).

Key numbers
Main stepat least 3 monthsSet[bmluk-alp][val-app1996]Ripen at least three months
Temperature51–54 °CSet[bmluk-alp][val-app1996]Cook the curd

What makes this one different

It is made like Vorarlberger Bergkäse but only on summer alps, from raw milk of cows that eat fresh or dried alpine grass and herbs (bought-in grain meal up to 20 % of the yearly dry matter is allowed, silage is not), and the evening milk is skimmed by hand after standing overnight in wooden tubs. Each wheel carries the name of its alp.

Milk
Raw alpine cow milk, silage-free; evening milk partly skimmed by hand
Ripening
At least 3 months at 10–17 °C
Rind
Dried, grainy, yellowish-brown to brown
Size
Up to 35–40 kg (sources differ)
Fat in dry matter
More than 45 %

Related ferments

Safety

This is a raw-milk cheese. A 2025 study of Alpine raw-milk cheeses names high scalding temperatures, good starter cultures and clean milk as the hurdles that keep Staphylococcus aureus and its toxins down; this cheese is scalded at 51–54 °C and ripened at least three months. The US FDA says ageing raw-milk cheese for 60 days may not eliminate or adequately reduce E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, and Listeria may grow in some cheeses during ageing. The CDC says people at higher risk, including pregnant women, people 65 or older and people with weak immunity, should avoid raw-milk cheese unless it is heated to 165 °F (74 °C) or until steaming hot.

Hazards the sources name: Staphylococcus aureus and its enterotoxins, a known risk in Alpine raw-milk cheeses.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Records show that sweet or fat cheesemaking (Süß- or Fettsennen), still the basis of this cheese, was in use in Vorarlberg during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). By the 18th century much of the alpine milk went into alpine cheese and the name was in use. It was registered as a PDO in 1997.

  1. [val-app1996] European Commission, application for registration under Council Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92, 'Vorarlberger Alpkäse g.U.', EC No G/AT/1413/95.07.03 (summary sheet, eAmbrosia attachment 72170)spec
  2. [bmluk-alp] Bundesministerium für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Klima- und Umweltschutz, Regionen und Wasserwirtschaft (BMLUK), Traditionelle Lebensmittel, 'Vorarlberger Alpkäse g.U.' (E. Sommer, E. Höbaus; revised by SVGH)gov
  3. [val-reg2023] Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1690 of 30 August 2023 approving non-minor amendments to the specification for 'Vorarlberger Alpkäse' (PDO), Official Journal L 219, 6.9.2023, p. 5 (Publications Office copy)spec
  4. [quijada2020] Quijada N.M. et al. 2020, Austrian raw-milk hard-cheese ripening involves successional dynamics of non-inoculated bacteria and fungi, Foods 9(12):1851 (abstract; study of Vorarlberger Bergkäse)paper
  5. [berger2025] Berger T.F.H. et al. 2025, Critical factors affecting the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus and staphylococcal enterotoxins in raw milk cheese in the Alpine region of Austria, Italy, and Switzerland, Foods 14:2176 (abstract)paper
  6. [fda-rawcheese2016] US Food and Drug Administration 2016, FY 2014–2016 Microbiological Sampling Assignment Summary Report, Raw Milk Cheese Aged 60 Daysgov
  7. [cdc-listeria] US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preventing Listeria Infectiongov