Mt. Alice is a bloomy-rind cow’s milk cheese named for a hill near the Von Trapp dairy farm in Waitsfield, Vermont. Fifty cows supply the milk for their farmstead cheeses, which also include the washed-rind Oma, an Alp-style cheese named Savage, and Mad River Blue.
Mt. Alice is made from certified organic, pasteurized milk and ages from three to five weeks. Its snow-white rind is thin and chalky, quite dry, with a scent of fresh button mushrooms and earth. The pale cream-colored paste is springy, stickier at the center and pricked with holes, while the creamline shines with ripeness. Although styled after Camembert, Mt. Alice is less assertive and quite buttery, with a faint grassiness and a salty, tangy finish.
Pairing Wine and Other Foods with Mt. Alice
A cheese this mild (but rich) is versatile. Pair it with fresh berries or figs, stone fruits, roasted nuts, or dried fruits like dates and raisins, or drizzle it with honey. Serve it with a salad of tender greens tossed with fruity olive oil and topped with a toasted crouton. Or go simple with fresh baguette. (The French would slather the bread with butter first. Why not?) To drink, choose fruity, light-bodied wines with modest to medium acidity, like (unoaked) Chardonnay, Arneis, Grenache, Gamay, or Frappato.
Von Trapp Farmstead Mt. Alice
About $25/lb.
Von Trapp Farmstead, Waitsfield, Vermont
