Follow where your taste buds lead along the Vermont Cheese Trail.
By Allie Herzog
Wherever your travels take you in Vermont, there’s a good chance you’ll find some fresh, locally-made cheese nearby. One of the many reasons behind creating the Vermont Cheese Trail was to make visitors aware of these delicious opportunities.
“It’s fun to help people understand who the local cheesemakers are in a particular region,” says Marty Mundy, Executive Director of the Vermont Cheese Council.
The Vermont Cheese Trail consists of more than 50 cheese producers, ranging from businesses with 50-plus employees and multiple dairy farms to tiny farms with one or two employees and their own herd of animals. In most cases, you can buy cheese directly from the farm, and some locations have farm stores offering complementary products alongside their own. Many of the farms conduct public tours to view the cheesemaking process firsthand, but you may need to call ahead to schedule.
The Cheese Council was formed more than 25 years ago to help support cheese producers, both large and small, with marketing, business services, organizational health, and branding. They are responsible for the creation of the Cheese Trail, as well as an annual Cheese Week, a cheese summit for industry professionals, and a cheese-themed scavenger hunt, which is a fun way to explore not only Vermont’s robust cheese offerings but also other activities that pair well with cheese.
“I love cheese, but even I do other things,” Mundy says with a laugh.
The scavenger hunt runs in September and October, offering clue packets for each region of the state. It’s free to participate and can be a great planning tool for pairing cheese tasting with wine tasting, brewery visits, hiking, chocolate tasting, and more.
The Cheese Trail is home to many notable farms, including the maker of America’s oldest cheddar, Plymouth Artisan Cheese. The farm was started in 1890 by John Coolidge, a dairy farmer looking to extend the shelf life of his milk. His son, Calvin Coolidge, was born on the farm and sworn in there as the 30th president of the United States.
The von Trapp Farmstead is a third-generation farm started in 1959 when Werner and Erika von Trapp moved to Waitsfield, Vermont, from Austria. Yes, they are related to THE von Trapp family (Werner is Kurt von Trapp in The Sound of Music). Sebastian von Trapp and his wife, Molly Semler, recently took over the business started by his opa and oma (grandparents) full-time, and today, they make award-winning cheese, organic yogurt, and pastured meat from regeneratively raised cows and pigs. Sebastian von Trapp grew up on the family farm, and in 2009, he began his cheesemaking journey to make the business more sustainable and less dependent on the going rate of milk. Believe it or not, Sebastian and Molly fell in love over the cheesemaking process— it’s cheesy but true!
In 2021, they opened a farm store at the front corner of the barn, selling products from more than 40 local producers, including pork, beef, cheeses, yogurt, beer and wine, fresh bread, and flowers. They also offer the chance to “meet the cows” and taste their four varieties of cheese during their “Grass to Cheese” tours.
Cabot Creamery is a household name synonymous with cheese. It has been around since 1919 and has farms throughout New York and New England. Its farm store and tasting annex in Waterbury is the perfect one-stop shop for all your charcuterie board fixings accompaniments, including local beers, hard ciders, regional and international wines, and, of course, various cheeses from throughout the state.
Parish Hill Creamery in Westminster West crafts natural cheese by hand. Their unique process uses raw milk from Elm Lea Farm at the Putney School, which is just up the road from the creamery.
Shelburne Farms in Shelburne is an incredibly bucolic location, home to much more than just a dairy farm. The farm is an educational nonprofit that runs the Institute for Sustainable Schools, a hub of sustainability-focused professional learning programs and resources for Pre-K-12 educators. It has been producing artisanal cheddar since 1980. From May to October, you can watch the legendary cheddar being made on the farm, where you can also walk the trails, visit the barnyard animals, and shop in the farm store. So, what makes Vermont cheese a cut above? Mundy says it starts with the rich farmland and the soil. “The animals eat the grass and produce delicious, high-quality milk, which in turn makes incredible cheese.” If you’re still not a brie-liever, come try some for yourself. Visit vtcheese.com to plan your trip!
Perfect Pairings
“Good cheese needs good companions,” said eminent chef and author James Beard. And when it comes to accompaniments for Vermont cheese, Marty Mundy, Executive Director of the Vermont Cheese Council, has another savvy bit of advice: “What grows together goes together!”
Mundy’s suggestions for a delicious tasting board highlighting Vermont’s finest cheeses include:
- Spreads from Blake Hill Preserves in Windsor, Vermont
- Smoked meats and charcuterie produced in Vermont
- Savory pickles or a condiment with a little heat, such as hot peppers
- Nuts, chocolate, and dried fruits to balance salty and sweet
Molly Semler of von Trapp Farmstead has a favorite cheese board addition: red pepper jelly for a sweet and spicy combo. She also recommends these partners for three of the von Trapp cheeses:
Mt. Alice: This bloomy-rind cheese named for the mountain peak above the farm has bright flavors of butter, crème fraîche, and floral lemon when young. When fully ripened, it’s elegant and gooey with flavors of woodsy mushrooms and brassica. Pair it with an Austrian Grüner Veltliner or any bright and refreshing white wine.
Savage: An Alpine-style cheese aged for one year and named for Samuel S. Savage, who settled the von Trapp Farm in the 1700s. Savage’s flavors of toasty caramelized onion, beef broth, pâté, and grass showcase the farm’s milk. Pair it with a local (or homemade) onion jam.
Mad River Blue: A natural-rind blue cheese with a smooth and buttery texture and bright blue-green veins. It offers a mild blue bite and complex flavors of anise, cocoa, dried fruits, and minerals with a deep umami backbone. Pair it with an apple or pear cider from Mad River Valley’s Tin Hat Cider.
