Raclette du Valais PDO alpine cheese: the 2026 season is here
An alpine cheese is made on the alpage itself, from the raw milk of the cows that spend the summer there. Its production therefore follows the summer grazing calendar: the herd goes up at the inalpe in June and comes back down at the désalpe, in September or early October. In between, each alpine dairy makes a limited number of wheels, which are then matured for at least three months. That is why autumn is the right time to buy a Raclette du Valais PDO alpine cheese: the summer cheeses are ready, and once an alpage has sold out, you have to wait for the next season. Here is how to recognise these Swiss raclette cheeses and which ones are available for the 2026 season.
How to recognise a Raclette du Valais PDO alpine cheese
Look at the rim of the wheel, known in French as the talon. Every dairy that makes Raclette du Valais PDO (AOP) stamps an official name on it. These names are listed in the Raclette du Valais AOP specification (in French), registered with the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG). The name tells you where the wheel was made. A few examples from this official list:
- Ars: Les Ars alpage, Orsières
- Mont-Percé: Orsières
- Peule: Orsières
- Plan-de-la-Chaux: Orsières
- Cœur: Liddes
- Bagnes-Mille: Mille alpage, Val de Bagnes
- Bagnes 30: Lourtier
- Le Lein: Levron
- Tronc: Le Tronc, Vollèges
- Fournoutz: Bourg-Saint-Pierre
- Forclaz: Forclaz and Giétaz, Martigny district
- Champsot: Morgins
- Dents du Midi 12: Champsot 2, Morgins
This stamp is the most reliable proof of origin. To find out what the designation itself guarantees, from raw Valais milk to maturing, read our article on Raclette du Valais AOP.
A natural, unwashed rind
Don't be surprised when you unwrap it: most alpine cheeses are sold with their natural rind (morge), the crust that forms during maturing, unwashed and simply wrapped in cellophane. This is normal. Before your raclette, scrape or cut the rind off the face you will turn towards the heat. Two exceptions in our range: the Pointet half wheels are cleaned and vacuum-packed, and the Tsalan ones are washed, vacuum-packed and ready to use.
The alpages available this season
Here are the 2026 alpine raclette cheeses available now, by region.
Val Ferret
| Alpage | Altitude | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Les Ars | about 1,800 m | A bourgeoisie alpage near La Fouly on the Tour du Mont-Blanc; up to a hundred dairy cows in summer, including Herens cows. |
| Mont-Percé | about 1,740 m | At the very end of the Val Ferret, next to the hamlet of Ferret, facing the Mont Blanc massif. |
| Plan-de-la-Chaux | about 2,040 m | Above La Fouly, on the path to the Fenêtre lakes; rim stamped “Plan-de-la-Chaux”. A different alpage from La Chaux in the Val de Bagnes. |
| La Peule | 2,071 m | At the head of the Val Ferret, above La Fouly; the cheese is made on site by the Nicolas Coppey family. |
Liddes and Val de Bagnes
| Alpage | Altitude | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Le Cœur | 2,238 m | Above Liddes; cheesemakers Martina Cervenka and Frédéric Grialou were awarded 19.5/20 by the Interprofession Raclette du Valais AOP. |
| Mille | about 2,200 m | Above the Mayens de Bruson, with a large herd of Herens and Simmental cows; rim stamped “Bagnes-Mille”. |
| La Chaux | 2,200 m | Val de Bagnes; silver medal in the Interprofession's 2024 ranking. |
| Le Lein | 1,656 m | An alpage in the Grand Entremont. |
| Bagnes 30 | 1,700 to 2,300 m | Milk from the Chermontane and Sery-Laly alpages, around the Combin massif; gold medal at the Concours des produits du terroir in Courtemelon. |
| Le Tronc | – | Near the Col du Tronc above Vollèges, where the herd grazes among the larches of Mont Chemin. |
Chablais, Dents du Midi region
| Alpage | Altitude | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Champsot | about 1,600 m | Above Morgins (Troistorrents); the Dubosson family spends the summer here with some 75 cows and has made the cheese on site since 1993. The Interprofession's gold star every year from 2016 to 2024, according to the Dents du Midi Region. |
Martigny region
| Alpage | Altitude | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| La Forclaz | 1,527 m (pass) | Municipality of Trient, on the road between Martigny and Chamonix, with the La Giétaz alpage higher up, at around 1,884 m; known for its brown cows. |
Central Valais
| Alpage | Altitude | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Pointet | 2,000 m | Above Conthey; the Pillet family has made cheese here every summer since 2005, using milk from Herens cows. Awarded gold by the Interprofession several times, including 19.50/20 in 2025; matured for 4 to 6 months. |
| Tsalan | 2,000 m | Above Anzère; Grégory makes and matures his cheese on site. Silver medal from the Interprofession in 2026, with 19.00/20. |
Several of these alpages also feature in the 2026 awards: the full ranking is in our article on the best Raclette du Valais AOP cheeses.
2026 pre-sales: all gone. The cheeses reserved in this year's pre-sale (Tanay, Chassoure, Savolaire, Champsot 2, Combyre-Meinaz, Fournoutz and Tovassière) are sold out. The raclette from the Chassoure alpage, made by the Rochat family above La Tzoumaz, remains out of stock until next season. The 2027 pre-sale will open next year.
Choosing and storing your alpine cheese
Each alpage gives a different cheese, depending on its herd and pastures. If you are still torn between an alpine cheese and a village dairy cheese, our comparison alpage cheeses vs dairy cheeses will help you decide.
How much? Our guide how much raclette cheese per person recommends 240 g per person with a traditional raclette oven and a half wheel. A half wheel of alpine cheese weighs 2.4 kg on average, so it serves around ten people. For a big gathering, take a whole wheel of about 4.8 kg.
How to store it? The product sheets for our alpine cheeses give a storage time of around 3 months in the fridge (1 month for Tsalan, vacuum-packed). Once the wheel is cut, wrap it in cheese paper rather than aluminium foil and cover the cut face well: it will then keep for 1 to 2 weeks. Full details in our article how to store raclette cheese.
Frequently asked questions
When should you buy alpine raclette cheese?
In autumn, after the désalpe: by then the summer cheeses have had at least three months of maturing. The 2026 season cheeses are available now, in limited quantities: once an alpage's production is sold, you have to wait until the following year.
Why isn't the rind washed?
Alpine cheeses are sold with their natural rind (morge), the crust that forms during maturing. Simply scrape or cut it off before melting the cheese.
How can I tell which alpage my cheese comes from?
Read the rim of the wheel: the official name of the dairy is stamped there, for example “Ars”, “Bagnes-Mille” or “Champsot”. These names are listed in the Raclette du Valais AOP specification.
Do you deliver outside Switzerland?
No, our cheeses are delivered in Switzerland only. They are shipped Monday to Wednesday by priority mail and usually arrive the next day, nice and fresh.
Traditional Swiss raclette, alpine style
A Raclette du Valais PDO alpine cheese is traditional Swiss raclette at its most local: one alpage, one herd, one summer. If you are wondering where raclette really comes from, our article Raclette: French or Swiss? sets the record straight. And to choose your half wheel for the 2026 season, the whole selection is in our alpine raclette cheese collection.
Delivery in Switzerland, shipped Monday to Wednesday by priority mail: see the 2026 alpine cheeses.
