The creation of an Abondance cheese wheel answer to a unique savoir-faire

A unique taste, since the 13th century

The cheese is in the shape of a flat cylindrical grinding wheel with a smooth amber-coloured crust. It weighs between 6 and 12 kg (about 10 kg on average) and is 7 to 8 cm high.

It has a soft and melting texture, ivory to pale yellow in colour, has a fruity taste coming from notes of pineapple, apricot, citrus and hazelnuts. On average 10 L of milk are needed to make 1 kg of Abondance. Production is by traditional methods: the size of the creameries is regulated and many operations on the farm are still carried out manually.

Each farmer only produces a few cheeses daily, which makes Abondance quite rare.

Traditional
production

Draining the curds

Copper cauldrons are used for the production process. They hold the previous evening’s milking together with that of the morning milking. The cauldron is warmed so the temperature of the milk is the same as when it left the udder. After adding rennet, the milk gradually forms a gel. It must be "cut" with a curd cutter. The aim is to obtain regular sized pieces ranging from a grain of rice to a kernel of corn. The cauldron is heated again to a temperature of between 45 and 50°C.

Stopping the heat and mixing

This is a crucial moment for our producers: the curd grains must squeak to the touch. Next comes the fermentation stage, with the help of a cloth around the neck, the cheese maker extracts the grains of curd suspended in the whey; plunging his arms in the hot liquid using a linen cloth.

An authenticated cheese

As soon as it comes out of the cauldron, the curd is placed in a mould. A casein identification label authenticates the provenance of the product; green and oval for farm produced cheeses, square and red for creamery produced cheeses. The label is attached to the side of each wheel. Farm produced Abondance is made on the farm using only the milk from that farm, whereas the creamery produced Abondance is made from the milk of several farms, working together as cooperatives.

A matured cheese

The operation of strapping the cheese begins, and with the aid of a hammer, the cheese maker tightens the band around the mould. After being under the mechanical press for one day, the cheeses are plunged into a brine bath for one day. After which, they are turned on pine maturation boards every 2 days. It takes at least 100 days to be ready for tasting, and before releasing its subtle aromas.

A cheese to savour

Abondance cheese can be enjoyed on its own or melted for a Berthoud, a typical Savoyard dish from Chablais. It goes well with light wines, especially those from Savoy, such as Chasselas. To partner Abondance with a wine from the same region, we recommend a dry white wine from the vineyards of Savoie-Bugey such as a good white wine from Chautagne, or Seyssel, or Bugey Roussette, or Savoie Roussette, or a white Bugey. Abondance also blends perfectly with dry red wines such as from Chignin Savigny, Côtes d'Auvergne Boudes, Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise, Coteaux du Loir or Coteaux d'Ancenis. If you prefer white wine, we would also recommend a dry white wine such as a Bourgogne Vézelay, Arbois, Côtes du Jura, Anjou or Saint-Pourçain to accompany the cheese.

Our
Cheese

A unique taste, since the 13th century