Why Alpine Cheese Is Vanishing & Why It Matters

These wheels carry centuries—and they’re in danger.

In the high-altitude folds of the Alps, cheese has always been more than food. It’s memory, tradition, and landscape—pressed into wheels and aged in dark, cool caves. But today, cheeses like Fontina and Gruyère, once shaped by the rhythm of the mountains, are facing pressures that threaten their very existence.

Walk into a centuries-old tunnel in Italy’s Valle d’Aosta—once a copper mine, now a cave stacked with aging Fontina—and you’ll smell wood smoke, damp moss, and the tangy whisper of raw milk transforming slowly. But lately, some of those shelves sit empty. Climate shifts, rising costs, and labor shortages have caused production to drop. The signs are subtle but growing—fewer wheels on shelves, less availability abroad, and stories of cheesemakers struggling to keep going.

Alpine cheese, after all, doesn’t come from industrial dairies. It’s born of a delicate balance: cows grazing on wild herbs in high-altitude pastures, families living in simple chalets through summer, crafting cheese in wood-fired copper vats. This age-old migration, where livestock and people move together with the seasons, is both romantic and incredibly hard work. And it’s becoming harder.

As one Austrian cheesemaker, Emma Fuchs, put it:

“We used to go up the mountain in early June. Now, we go in early May. The grass grows faster, but not better. There’s less snow, which means less water. The cows have less to drink, and the grass is less nutritious. It looks O.K., but it’s not.”

According to Food & Wine

These shifts—earlier seasons, drier summers—have cascading effects. Less nutritious forage means lower-quality milk, which means less nuanced cheese. And that’s just the climate. Younger generations are turning away from the grueling demands of this work. Add soaring feed and energy costs, and it’s clear: Alpine cheesemaking is under real threat.

Still, there are glimmers of hope. Some cheesemakers are embracing modern tools to make the work more humane and sustainable, from solar-powered barns to innovations in methane reduction. Organizations are working to highlight these stories, reminding the world that tradition and innovation can coexist. But it takes support—cultural, economic, and yes, consumer-driven—to keep these cheeses on our tables.

Because when we lose Alpine cheese, we lose more than just flavor. We lose a worldview: one that values slowness, place, and deep-rooted connection to the land. The question now is whether we care enough to help it survive.

For a deeper look at what’s happening in the Alps—and what’s at stake—read more from Food & Wine.