Michael Spycher Gruyere

Master cheesemaker Michael Spycher has been making Gruyère in the tiny Swiss village of Sumiswald for nearly two decades. He makes his cheeses with milk from a dozen local farmers, each with small herds of 8-20 cows that are known by name and spend their days grazing on the Alpine grasses and flowers. Each day Michael makes 5 or 6 huge, 70-pound wheels of Gruyère. The wheels age for half a year, until the cheese has an ivory color dotted with occasional flavor crystals.

You can practically taste the mountain grasses, delicate meadow flowers and alpine herbs in this balanced, never sharp cheese—so it’s no wonder it was named the 2020 world champion cheese.