Afterward, Wüthrich pours the mixture into molds, where it is compressed for six hours to squeeze out excess moisture before being stored overnight.
The next morning, Wüthrich removes the new cheese from the molds and soaks it in salt water for six hours. He then cures the finished cheese for six weeks to a year to age it and bring it to full flavor.
"Swiss" Cheese
Switzerland produces some 450 types of cheeses, which vary in consistency, flavor, color, and size. Some of the most well-known varieties are Emmentaler, Appenzeller, Tilsiter, Le Gruyère, Vacherin, Tête de Moins, Raclette, Sbrinz, and Bündnerkäse.
Emmentaler, with its signature circular holes, most resembles what many in the United States characterize as "Swiss" cheese.
Wüthrich concentrates his own efforts on producing two specific cheeses at the Pontresina dairy: Gletschermutschli, small 2-pound (0.9-kilogram) wheels of cheese that are aged six weeks to three months, and Heutaler, 15-pound (7-kilogram) wheels of cheese that are aged for a year.
Over the course of a summer, Wüthrich typically collects over 10,000 gallons (40,000 liters) of milk and produces nearly 9,000 pounds (4,000 kilograms) of cheese by hand, selling it to area hotels and restaurants.
In winter, Wüthrich makes pre-prepared fondue, a wine and cheese mixture heated and eaten with bread, that is sold through delicatessens and airport shops.
When asked to make his own preference among the hundreds of Swiss cheeses known, the master craftsman is quick to say, "I have a favorite cheese, yeah—that's our cheese."
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