There are approx. 150,000 individual boxes of Mont d’Or produced each year for the worldwide market, making it quite a rare and much sought-after winter cheese.  There are only thirteen producers of Vacherin Mont d’Or, all of which adhere to strict criteria set down in AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) regulation, including the requirement that this cheese is produced at an altitude of 2,297 feet or higher.  The Fete du Vacherin Mont d’Or AOC is held annually in the main square in Les Charbonnières in honour of the region’s most famous local product.

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Mont d’Or is made with the winter milk of cows feeding on straw and fodder and is only available from October to March.  When ripe, Vacherin Mont d’Or is soft and alpine with a pale, yellow crust.  When very ripe it becomes oozy and is spoonable.  Its rich creaminess is enhanced by woody notes from the spruce bark inside the box in which the cheese is always served.

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• Bake it and enjoy as fondue

• Cut a garlic clove in half and run over the top of the Vacherin Mont d’Or.  Make some holes in the skin of the cheese and drizzle white wine into the holes.  Bake for 20 minutes.

• Dip with crusty bread, potato wedges or vegetable sticks

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