TABLE OF CONTENTS
Best Swiss Cheese Types
Gruyère is a cooked and pressed cheese made from raw cow's milk. On the exterior, the cheese has a grainy yellow to brown rind, while the interior is ivory to pale yellow in color. The Swiss version (AOP), a hard cheese with a salty and nutty flavor usually has no holes, while the French version (IGP) is required to have them, ranging in size from a pea to a cherry.
Gruyère must mature for at least 120 days in cellars so that it develops delicate aromas of caramelized apples, hazelnuts, and brown butter. It melts well, making it ideal for classic fondues, or, alternatively, sliced and consumed on its own and paired with a glass of light red wine.
THE BEST Gruyère Cheeses



Tête de moine (lit. monk’s head) is a cylindrical, semi-hard Swiss cheese made from cow’s milk. The cheese is kept on spruce wood boards for at least 2,5 months before consumption. It is believed that the cheese was first made by monks in the Bellelay monastery in the community of Saicourt.
In the past, they used it as a means of payment. Interestingly, tête de moine is not cut, but scraped or shaved with a special tool called a girolle. During the process, the surface of the cheese comes into direct contact with air, which alters the structure of the paste and helps to release the aromas.
L'Etivaz is a traditional cheese produced in Canton Vaud. It is said that l'Etivaz is made just as Gruyère was made a long time ago, without compromising its original flavor profile. The cheese is made from raw cow's milk from the summer months.
It is heated in copper vats over an open wood fire, and some of the ashes might fall into the open vats, resulting in just a hint of smokiness when eating the cheese. L'Etivaz is very fragrant and its texture is dense and creamy, while the flavors are fruity and nutty with a hint of smokiness.
Pair with
Appenzeller is a Swiss cheese from Appenzell. It's made from raw cow's milk, and while the cheese is maturing, it's regularly washed with a secret herbal brine. After 3 months, it's ready for consumption, and the longer it matures, the spicier it will become.
This hard cheese has a firm, open, and smooth texture, while the flavors are tangy, spicy, and fruity. There are three types of Appenzeller: Classic, aged 3 to 4 months, Surchoix, aged 4 to 6 months, and Extra, aged 6 months or longer.
THE BEST Appenzeller Cheeses
Sbrinz is a Swiss extra-hard cheese made from raw cow's milk. The cheese has a natural rind, and it's texture is dense and flaky. The aromas are slightly spicy, while the flavors are full, intense, tangy, spicy, and nutty, with notes of butterscotch.
Sbrinz is traditionally aged for at least 18 months, and the more it ages, the more aromatic it becomes. It can be consumed in 3 ways: when it's aged for 18 months, it is sliced or shaved into thin rolls, from 24 months and up it's broken into smaller pieces called möckli, and finally, it can be grated and used in a wide array of dishes.
Pair with
Vacherin Mont d'Or is a traditional cheese hailing from the area on the border of France near the mountain d'Or. The cheese is made from thermalized cow's milk, and it's available only from October until April, making it highly seasonal and somewhat rare.
It shouldn't be confused with Vacherin du Haut-Doubs or just Mont d'Or cheese – that one is made exclusively with raw cow's milk in France. Vacherin Mont d'Or is wrapped in spruce in order to contain the slightly liquid and melting interior.
Due to its mild flavor and melting and creamy texture, it's recommended to eat the cheese with a spoon when it's at room temperature.
THE BEST Vacherin Mont d'Or Cheeses
Vacherin Fribourgeois is a traditional semi-soft cheese. It's made from raw cow's milk in Bulle and Fribourg. The cows graze only on grass and summer hay on the Alpine meadows. The rind is washed and has a pungent aroma. The interior hides an open, firm, and buttery texture.
The aromas are grassy and strong, while the flavors are buttery, nutty, milky, and acidic. It's difficult to find the cheese because it's produced only by a handful of local artisanal cheese makers. There are 6 varieties of Vacherin Fribourgeois: Classic (6-12 weeks), Extra (at least 12 weeks), Rustic (at least 12 weeks and up to 25 weeks), Alpage (12-25 weeks), Mountain (9-25 weeks), and Organic (at least 9 weeks).
Pair with
Berner Alpkäse is a traditional cheese originating from the Bernese Oberland. This hard cheese is made during summer from full-fat raw cow's milk that's flavored with Alpine herbs on which the cows graze. It's usually left to age from 6 to 18 months before consumption.
Underneath its washed rind, the texture of this cheese is hard, brittle, and with no eyes (holes) that are typical for Swiss cheeses. The flavors can be mild or strong, depending on the maturation period. The cheese is usually planed into thin rolls or crumbled into smaller pieces because its brittle texture makes it unsuitable for cutting with a knife.
Emmentaler is a semi-hard Swiss cheese made from unpasteurized cow’s milk. It must be matured for a minimum of 4 months, though some varieties can be aged longer. The cheese is characterized by its pale yellow color, smooth texture, and marble-sized holes (eyes), which appear during maturation.
Although the final flavor profile depends on maturation, the cheese is usually nutty and tangy, with aromas that are reminiscent of fresh hay. Emmentaler is traditionally served sliced or cut into cubes, but it also incorporates well into various dishes, and it is one of the most common cheese varieties used in fondue.
Pair with
VARIATIONS OF Emmentaler
THE BEST Emmentaler Cheeses


Edelweiss Creamery
Emmentaler
American Cheese Society Judging & Competition Awards - 1st Place 2017, 2016, 2010, 2008

Tomme Vaudoise is a traditional cheese hailing from Switzerland. The cheese is made from raw cow's milk and it's left to mature for 8 weeks. Underneath its highly aromatic bloomy rind that's marked with tiny indentations from aging on racks, the texture is rich, yielding, and oozy.
The aromas are fresh, while the flavors are fresh, grassy, and slightly tangy. It's recommended to pan-fry the cheese and place it on top of a salad, use it in pasta dishes, and pair it with a glass of dry white wine.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Best Swiss Cheese Producers
Walo von Mühlenen specializes in the production and maturation of Swiss cheeses, working with affineurs to age cheeses in optimal conditions. The company highlights traditional methods and regional cheese varieties, maintaining close relationships with small-scale dairies to ensure high-quality products.
They are known for promoting lesser-known Swiss cheeses alongside internationally recognized varieties.
AWARDS

World Cheese Awards - Gold
2024, 2023, 2022

World Cheese Awards - Super Gold
2024, 2023, 2022, 2021

International Cheese Awards - Gold
2024, 2023, 2022, 2019
BEST Walo Von Mühlenen Cheeses
AWARDS

World Cheese Awards - Gold
2024, 2023, 2022, 2021

World Cheese Awards - Super Gold
2024, 2023

International Cheese Awards - Gold
2024, 2023, 2022, 2019
BEST Lustenberger & Dürst Cheeses
AWARDS

World Cheese Awards - Super Gold
2022

World Cheese Awards - Gold
2024, 2022
BEST Le Gruyère Cheeses
AWARDS

World Championship Cheese Contest - WORLD CHAMPION
2024, 2022, 2020

World Cheese Awards - Gold
2024
BEST Mountain Dairy Fritzenhaus Cheeses
L'Etivaz is a traditional Swiss cheese produced exclusively in the high Alpine regions of the Vaud canton, following strictly defined methods that have been passed down for generations. The uniqueness of L'Etivaz AOP lies in its artisanal production process – the milk is heated exclusively over a wood fire in copper cauldrons, giving the cheese its distinctive rich aroma, subtle smoky notes, and full, nutty flavor.
After shaping, the cheeses are aged for at least five months, allowing them to develop complex aromas and a firm yet melt-in-the-mouth texture. L'Etivaz AOP is produced in limited quantities, with an annual production of around 400 tons, making it one of the most exclusive Swiss cheeses.
AWARDS

World Championship Cheese Contest - Best of Class
2024

World Cheese Awards - Super Gold
2024
BEST L'Etivaz Cheeses
AWARDS

World Cheese Awards - Super Gold
2023

World Cheese Awards - Gold
2024
BEST Käserei Müller Thurgau Cheeses
AWARDS

World Championship Cheese Contest - WORLD CHAMPION
2014

World Championship Cheese Contest - Best of Class
2014
BEST Käserei Sinnesberger Cheeses
AWARDS

Global Cheese Awards - Gold
2023

Global Cheese Awards - Best
2023
BEST New Roots Ag Cheeses
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 100 Swiss Cheeses” list until March 23, 2025, 1,559 ratings were recorded, of which 1,262 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.