It’s the 12 Days of Cheese — the once-a-year chance for huge savings on 12 expertly sourced cheeses to enrich your epic holiday gatherings. From buttery smooth to aged and nutty, it’s all here.
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Here’s a tip for even better cheese: Unwrap your cheese about an hour before serving to bring out flavors and aromatics.
1. Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog
Behold the artisan cheese that led the way for soft-ripened goat cheese in America. Savor the buttermilk and fresh cream, complemented with floral notes, herbaceous overtones and a clean citrus finish. Its flavor intensifies as it matures — a cheese dream come true.
Pair It With
Cracker: Lesley Stowe Raincoast Crisps Rosemary Raisin Pecan
Accoutrement: Savannah Bee Co. Whipped Honey
Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Genoa Salami
Wine: Lubanzi Chenin Blanc (750 ML)
Beer: Clausthaler Non-Alcoholic Santa Ale (6 pk)
2. Sweet Grass Dairy Thomasville Tomme
This raw cow’s milk cheese is aged at least 60 days for a creamy texture and a subtle yet complex earthy flavor. Made in the style of a French farmhouse table cheese, this is the semisoft cheese you want for slicing up on firm crackers and pairing with just a touch of sweetness.
Pair It With
Cracker: La Panzanella Mini Original Croccantini
Accoutrement: Bonnie's Jams Cranberry Cherry Cabernet
Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Soppressata Salami
Wine: Barone Cornaccia Villa Torri Montepulciano D'Abruzzo
Beer: Orval Belgian Pale Ale
3. Cowgirl Creamery Organic Mt Tam
Celebrate the season with all the lusciousness you expect from a triple-cream cheese, with a unique paste that upholds its texture. Packed with flavors of salted butter, cream and white mushrooms, it’s savory and satisfying every time.
Pair It With
Cracker: Rustic Bakery Olive Oil Flatbread Sel Gris
Accoutrement: Bonnie's Jams Cranberry Cherry Cabernet
Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Prosciutto
Wine: Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut Rosé NV
Beer: Rodenbach Classic (4 pk)
4. Jasper Hill Farm Cabot Clothbound Cheddar
It’s no wonder this collaboration between two Vermont icons has now lasted over two decades. Cabot Creamery sends wheels of young cheddar to Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, where they are wrapped in cloth and ripened in underground cellars. The resulting natural-rind bandaged cheddar is approachable yet complex, with a crumbly texture and nutty aroma.
Pair It With
Cracker: Rosemary Raisin Pecan Raincoast Crisps
Accoutrement: Savannah Bee Company Whipped Honey
Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Prosciutto
Wine: Prisma Rosé
Beer: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
5. Uplands Cheese Pleasant Ridge Reserve
Much like the most coveted types of Gruyère, Uplands Cheese Pleasant Ridge Reserve is made only in the summer months when their cows graze on fresh Wisconsin grass. The sweet grass-fed milk perfectly complements the alpine-style cheese’s natural washed rind for a rich and salty body and a long, fruity finish.
Pair It With
Cracker: Rosemary Raisin Pecan Raincoast Crisps
Accoutrement: Divina Caramelized Onion Jam
Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Genoa Sliced Salami
Wine: Prisma Rosé
Beer: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
6. Vermont Creamery Bijou
Modeled after a classic French style of goat cheese called crottin, Vermont Creamery’s Bijou is made with local goat’s milk, ladled by hand and slowly drained through cheesecloth. Each hand-shaped button of cheese is sharp and complex thanks to a 30-day aging and a snowy rind produced by Geotrichum, a straing of culture that produces distinctive wrinkles.
Pair It With
Cracker: Mitica Toketti di Pane Carasau
Accoutrement: Dalmatia Mini Sour Cherry Spread
Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Prosciutto
Wine: Lubanzi Chenin Blanc
Beer: Allagash Brewing Company White Ale
7. Neal's Yard Dairy Appleby's Cheshire
Though farmhouse-style cheese was once one of the most famous styles of British cheeses, the Appleby family — of Hawkstone Abbey Farm — is now the only cheesemaker producing these raw-milk, clothbound wheels. This well-balanced cheese is rich in mineral flavors up front, followed by bright acidity and a succulent yet crumbly texture.
Pair It With
Cracker: Rustic Bakery Organic Olive Oil & Sel Gris Flatbread
Accoutrement: Divina Caramelized Onion Jam
Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Soppressata
Wine: Decoy Limited Pinot Noir
Cider: Samuel Smith Organic Cider
8. MonS Pyrénées Brebis
Crafted in the forest of the French Pyrénées and aged for six months by renowned affineur Hervé Mons, this sheep milk cheese is made according to Basque tradition, resulting in an approachable cheese that’s still complex. Nutty and rich with a uniformly smooth and creamy texture, it’s delightful paired with stone fruit preserves.
Pair It With
Cracker: La Panzanella Mini Original Croccantini
Accoutrement: Bonnie’s Jams Cranberry Cherry Cabernet
Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Genoa Salami
Wine: Barone Cornacchia Villa Torri Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Beer: Lindemans Framboise Lambic
9. Papillon Roquefort
This unmistakable raw sheep milk blue owes its assertive spicy flavor to a mold that gives the cheese its taste and blue veins — derived from rye bread made in Roquefort’s own bread oven. The cheese is aged in natural caves for at least three months in order to develop these characteristic veins and a robust, complex flavor.
Pair It With
Cracker: Mitica Toketti di Pane Carasau
Accoutrement: Dalmatia Mini Sour Cherry Spread
Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Genoa Salami
Wine: Vine & Table Paso Robles Zinfandel
Beer: Chimay Grand Réserve
10. Quattro Portoni Quadrello di Bufala
Soft with a rich interior and aromas of warmed milk and herbs, this washed-rind cheese is produced using pasteurized buffalo milk, then aged for a minimum of 30 days. Full-flavored with a creamy mouthfeel, this is a lovely addition to any cheese board.
Pair It With
Cracker: Mitica Toketti di Pane Carasau
Accoutrement: Dalmatia Mini Sour Cherry Spread
Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Prosciutto
Wine: Lubanzi Chenin Blanc
Beer: Brasserie Dupont Saison Dupont
11. Klare Melk Truffle Gouda
Produced on a family farm exclusively for Whole Foods Market, this creamy Dutch Gouda is generously flecked with black truffle for a robust umami flavor that announces itself in every bite. This cheese also shreds and melts well, making it ideal for enhancing omelet and pasta dishes.
Pair It With
Cracker: La Panzanella Mini Original Croccantini
Accoutrement: Savannah Bee Company Whipped Honey
Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Soppressata
Wine: Veuve Clicquot Brut Rosé Champagne
Beer: Radeberger Pilsner (4 pk)
12. Emmi Kaltbach Le Gruyère
Twelve months of aging in sandstone caves allows this Gruyère to develop a fruity tanginess and clusters of crystals that satisfyingly melt on the tongue. This nutty Swiss cheese, which is exclusive to Whole Foods Market, is delicious with honey and nuts, melted over French onion soup or enjoyed on a baguette with thin-sliced ham and onion jam.
Pair It With
Cracker: Rustic Bakery Organic Olive Oil & Sel Gris Flatbread
Accoutrement: Divina Caramelized Onion Jam
Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Soppressata
Wine: Decoy Limited Pinot Noir
Beer: Ayinger Privatbrauerei Celebrator Doppelbock
Must be 21+. Please drink responsibly.
