Swiss Cheese Tour to Kaltbach Cave - Emmi Le Gruyere

Route: Lucerne - Kaltbach Cave - Emmi Le Gruyere - Lucerne
Duration: 3 h
Our tour will be at Kaltbach Cave which was formed from a prehistoric seabed, is found within Santenberg mountain . And it just so happens the cave’s cool, subterranean conditions are just right for ripening cheese. Around 156,000 wheels of cheese — mainly gruyère and emmentaler — are stored in the cave, which stretches for over a mile.Kaltbach Cave’s perfect climate — 50 degrees year-round — is ideal for aging cheese, and the river that runs through the cave keeps humidity levels at around 96 percent. In addition, the cave’s natural climate and mineral deposits provide a unique aging process that gives Emmi cheeses a distinct taste, smell, and the company’s signature dark brown rind. Each wheel of cheese is kept in the cave for a minimum of nine months until it has the right aroma and texture. Caring for the cheese is an important job, and Kaltbach Cave’s cavemasters are pros in the art of “cheese refinement,” which includes turning, washing, and brushing each wheel of cheese with a special brine solution. According to Atlas Obscura, the job is one that’s transferred down through generations of Kaltbach cavemasters.  Emmi is a Swiss chees company, which is obviously named after the Emmental cheese. The company buys chees from numerous dairy companies and other cheese producers, stores them in artificial sandstone caves where the cheese is tended to perfection and matured in ideal climatic conditions and then sold all over central Europe. Explore a maze of underground caves dedicated to aging fine Swiss cheese where you’ll get an inside look at a delicious food tradition, from Swiss cows to the aging process. Following the tour enjoy a selection of cave-aged cheeses paired with an aperitif, or select a Swiss fondue meal to experience a very Swiss tradition. After we will return to Lucerne.
Price: Per person