'Adopted' Swiss from alps now arriving in Bay Area

Obern Galm Alpkase photographed in San Francisco, California, and available at Rainbow Grocery, Bi-Rite, and Pasta Shop on Wednesday, November 20, 2013. Obern Galm Alpkase photographed in San Francisco, California, and available at Rainbow Grocery, Bi-Rite, and Pasta Shop on Wednesday, November 20, 2013. Photo: Liz Hafalia, Chronicle Photo: Liz Hafalia, Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close 'Adopted' Swiss from alps now arriving in Bay Area 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The days when "Swiss cheese" stood for bland and flabby sandwich slices are long gone, at least in the Bay Area.

The Swiss wheels available at top Bay Area specialty shops are among the most rewarding and expertly made cheeses in the case. Importers Caroline and Daniel Hostettler deserve a lot of credit for this rising stature.

Based in Florida, the Hostettlers specialize in bringing in handcrafted wheels from their native Switzerland and have made it a personal goal to help preserve the artisan cheesemakers' way of life.

Earlier this year, the Hostettlers launched an initiative called "Adopt an Alp." They selected a half-dozen Swiss cheesemakers who still practice the ritual of transhumance, leading their cows up the mountains in June to graze on alpine pasture until September.

The wheels made from this summer milk are considered the year's finest because of the lushness and variety of the cows' diet. Identified as alpkäse (alpine cheese) or alpage wheels, these sought-after cheeses have a rich golden hue from the carotene in the grass and, presumably, more compelling aromas.

Last spring, the Hostettlers invited their retail customers - in the Bay Area, top stores like Cheese Board, Pasta Shop, Bi-Rite Market, Rainbow Grocery and Sunshine Foods - to "adopt" one of these cheesemakers and commit themselves to purchasing at least 10 wheels of their summer cheese.

Each cheesemaker works a different mountain, taking their livestock as high as 8,500 feet above sea level. Some of them sleep in primitive stone huts during this period, with few or no modern amenities.

Over the summer, the Hostettlers posted images and brief reports from each alpine producer, encouraging retailers to take a proprietary interest in "their" cheese. These adopted wheels are just now arriving at Bay Area stores. The retailers purchased them sight unseen - or, more appropriately, untasted - and are just getting to know these new arrivals.

I asked Anthea Stolz, cheese buyer for Bi-Rite Markets, if this blind adoption didn't seem a little risky.

"Yes, but in an exciting way," she replied. "The producers that Caroline Hostettler works with are great quality, and she's really committed to what she's doing. We wouldn't do this with just anyone."

The retailer may have taken a risk, but as a consumer, you don't need to. You can always ask for a taste before you buy.

My expectation is that these cheeses will be representative of the Swiss cheesemakers' unmatched expertise. The wheels are young and will only improve with some age, so you might ask participating retailers how long they expect to have them for sale. Most of these cheeses will resemble silky, nutty alpine favorites like Gruyere, Comte, Appenzeller and raclette, although they may bear the name of the alp where they were made.

Look for these adopted Swiss alpine cheeses at Bi-Rite Markets, Cheese Plus and Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco; Cheese Board in Berkeley; Pasta Shop in Oakland and Berkeley; and Sunshine Foods in St. Helena.

I haven't tasted them, so can't recommend a partner with any certainty, but I tend to enjoy nutty alpine cheeses with malty beers such as porters, bocks and doppelbocks.

Next up: Avalanche Cabra-Blanca, an aged goat cheese from Colorado.