When pressed to pick the one cheese destination she would choose above all others, (but only if she had to,) Anna Juhl, founder of travel company Cheese Journeys, gives an honest answer: “I’d have to say the Alpine region of France and Switzerland. It’s just a classic. Alpine cheeses are amazing, the people are very industrious, and of course the location is beautiful. It’s very special.” According to a Research Markets report, the global culinary tourism market is estimated to be valued at US$ 1.8 billion in the year 2027, growing at a CAGR of 16.5% in the period 2020 to 2027. Included in that, is cheese tourism.
Like other culinary and wine tourism, exploring cheese in the places where it’s made involves elements of geography, history, gastronomy, science, culture, (double meaning intended,) and—unlike most wine tourism—may also include an element of zoology. (Cue Alpine cow parade slideshow.)
“The timing is right,” says Juhl. “In the last 10 to15 years, the American public has become really conscious of where their food comes from,” something she partially credits to the popularity of food television. Traveling for artisanal cheese or other foodstuffs is a natural progression of this, she explains, often to life-altering results. “One of the really exciting things for me is to take enthusiasts who know very little about artisanal cheese and turn them on to the whole experience: recognizing that there’s a whole cheese community out there, learning about history through the lens of cheese, tuning in to how it’s different than the highly processed food products that we often see in the U.S. It’s rewarding to be able to bring those people back and see how it changes their life, and how they’re eating differently because of it.”
Whether you have the means for a life-altering cheese experience with a bona fide cheese sherpa such as Juhl as your guide or are aiming for something a little closer to home, here are 4 ways to let cheese influence your next vacation plan.
Cheese Tour Specialists
Juhl founded Cheese Journeys as an extension of her personal travel habits, which were largely shaped by her previous career as a gourmet food store owner. (Prior to that, Juhl was also previously a nurse, so you know you’re in extremely good hands on one of her Cheese Journeys.) “It was an opportunity to really get to know some of these purveyors and producers,” she says. Other food industry folks saw what she was doing and wanted in on the fun. Now her experiences are open to both professionals and enthusiasts alike: “It’s pretty fun just to mix them up a bit,” says Juhl.
Cheese destinations available through Cheese Journeys include Northern Italy, the Alpine regions of France and Switzerland, Great Britain, Belgium & The Netherlands, along with a road trip option from New York to Vermont. (Stay tuned also for a new tour debuting in 2023 to Paris.) Cheese journeys are carefully curated experiences that include—in addition to up-close encounters with cheese and cheese making—boutique hotels, (or even the errant chateau,) private chefs, and cheese industry co-hosts such as Cheese Professor contributor Tenaya Darlington.
While Cheese Journeys is the only cheese tour company we know, Oldways also offers culinary tours that often include cheese. While not all of the tours are cheese-focused, the Cheese Culinaria in Switzerland and Northern Italy with Cheese Expert Cathy Strange in September 2023 is one that promises to be something special.
Cheese Trails
If your travel plans don’t allow for the necessary time or resources for a trip across the pond, you can curate your own custom, domestic cheese itinerary, road-trip style, even over a single weekend. Juhl co-signs on this approach: “There are various cheese producers in areas like Vermont and California that are doing great things by opening up their doors to the public, which is a really nice way to learn.” Many dairy collectives in U.S. states and regions that have a high concentration of cheesemakers maintain cheese trail maps, perfect for charting your own cheese course through farms, production facilities, and retail operations. Such resources include the California Cheese Trail, the Vermont Cheese Trail, the Connecticut Cheese Trail, The Great Wisconsin Cheese Trail, the Washington County Cheese Tour, and The Berkshire Farm & Table Cheese Trail. These are just a sample of locally focused cheese itineraries; check your regional or state dairy associations for recommendations close to wherever you live.
Cheese Festivals & Events
You can organize your own cheese-inspired road trip, or you can organize travel around recurring, domestic or international, cheese events. Juhl calls attention to Northern Italy’s Bra Cheese Festival: one of her favorite celebrations of cheese, taking place bi-annually in Italy’s Piedmont region. “It’s an amazing experience that’s really designed for enthusiasts,” she says, where regional producers line the historic city center with stalls, and the tiny town is overtaken by dairy aficionados. “All of Italy seems to come out to get a chance to taste.”
Additionally, Cheese Professor recently brought you news of the return of the California Artisan Cheese Festival, conveniently located at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds for those who like to have a little wine with their cheese travel. Similarly, the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival is hoping to make a return in 2023 after a pandemic hiatus.
Boutique Hotels in Cheese Regions
If your travel partners include friends and family who are not keen to organize their entire itinerary around cheese experiences—the horror—many boutique hotels in cheese regions allow for a dabble in cheese tourism by way of curated tours or tastings that occupy several hours rather than several days. Tuscany’s Borgo San Vincenzo, Alto Adige’s Hotel Kircher, Paris’s Le Bristol, and San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel, among others, are pre-programmed to arrange cheese tours or tastings. You can also always check with a concierge to inquire about other local options. Introduce your travel companions to a cheese experience on vacation, and it’s possible that they will eventually become as cheesy as you are.