12 Must-Have Cheeses for the Holidays

12 joyful days. 12 exquisite cheeses. This is the magical event cheese lovers everywhere have been waiting for.

12 Days of Cheese 2024

It’s the 12 Days of Cheese — the once-a-year chance for huge savings on 12 expertly sourced cheeses to enrich your epic holiday gatherings. From buttery smooth to aged and nutty, it’s all here. Plus, pairing suggestions for each festive cheese from the best cracker and charcuterie to the perfect wine and beer. *

Talk about holiday happiness! Our Curated Holiday Cheeses are 35% off with Prime from 12/13/24 to 12/24/24.**

Here’s a tip for even better cheese: Unwrap your cheese and leave at room temperature for about an hour before serving to bring out flavors and aromatics.

Cypress Grove Midnight Moon

1. Cypress Grove Midnight Moon

Treat your guests to caramelized, nutty decadence with this Gouda-style aged goat cheese. Six or more months of age give this creamy wheel a golden hue, brown butter notes and tingly protein crystals that surprise and delight. Savor it alone or with a spiced ale and red fruit jam.

Pair It With

  • Cracker: Rustic Bakery Organic Olive Oil & Sel Gris Flatbread

  • Accoutrement: Bonnie’s Jams Cranberry Cherry Cabernet Conserve

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Genoa Salami

  • Wine: La Coulée Sancerre**

  • Beer: Allagash Brewing Company Ski House Winter Ale

  • Other: jcoco Dark Chocolate Flight

Sartori Herbs de Provence Bellavitano

2. Sartori Herbs de Provence BellaVitano

Inspired by Italian farmstead cheeses, this aged cow’s milk cheese marries the tangy flavor of a parmesan and the creamy texture of a cheddar, plus pops of crystals formed during aging. Rubbed with fragrant herbs native to southeastern France, it’s the perfect addition to your holiday cheese board.

Pair It With

  • Cracker: La Panzanella Mini Original Croccantini

  • Accoutrement: Savannah Bee Company Honey for Cheese

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Genoa Salami

  • Wine: Jacques Bardelot Champagne Brut

  • Beer: BRLO Winter Cider

  • Other: Mitica Caramelized Pecans

Cowgirl Creamery Organic Mt Tam

3. Cowgirl Creamery Organic Mt Tam

Celebrate the season with all the lusciousness you expect from a triple-cream cheese, with a unique paste that upholds its texture. Packed with flavors of salted butter, cream and white mushrooms, it’s savory and satisfying every time.

Pair It With

  • Cracker: Rustic Bakery Organic Olive Oil & Sel Gris Flatbread

  • Accoutrement: Savannah Bee Company Honey for Cheese

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Prosciutto

  • Wine: Elizabeth Rose Pinot Noir

  • Beer: Brasserie Dupont Avec Les Bon Voeux Saison

  • Other: jcoco Dark Chocolate Flight

Jasper Hill Farm Cabot Clothbound

4. Jasper Hill Farm Prosecco-Washed Harbison

Jasper Hill Farm’s limited-release cow’s milk cheese is wrapped with spruce bark and washed in prosecco before aging in the Vermont creamery’s vaults, where it develops a floral, woodsy finish as it ripens. Slice the top off the bloomy-rind round and warm in the oven until bubbly for a self-contained fondue that’s as easy as it is decadent.

Pair It With

  • Cracker: La Panzanella Mini Original Croccantini

  • Accoutrement: Savannah Bee Company Honey for Cheese

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Soppressata

  • Wine: Presto Prosecco

  • Beer: Brasserie Dupont Avec Les Bon Voeux Saison

  • Other: Mitica Caramelized Pecans

Uplands Cheese Pleasant Ridge Reserve

5. Uplands Cheese Pleasant Ridge Reserve

Much like the most coveted types of Gruyère, Uplands Cheese Pleasant Ridge Reserve is made only in the summer months when their cows graze on fresh Wisconsin grass. The sweet grass-fed milk perfectly complements the Alpine-style cheese’s natural washed rind for a rich and salty body and a long, fruity finish.

Pair It With

  • Cracker: Rustic Bakery Organic Olive Oil & Sel Gris Flatbread

  • Accoutrement: Dalmatia Organic Fig Chili Spread

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Soppressata

  • Wine: Elizabeth Rose Pinot Noir

  • Beer: Clausthaler Non-Alcoholic Santa Holiday Brew

  • Other: Mitica Marcona Almonds

Vermont Creamery Bijou

6. Vermont Creamery Cremont

Made with both cow’s and goat’s milks, this award-winning French-style double-cream cheese features a velvety, supple center and a crinkly, earthy rind that melts away easily. Pair it with bubbles for a luxurious kickoff to your holiday celebration.

Pair It With

  • Cracker: Rustic Bakery Organic Olive Oil & Sel Gris Flatbread

  • Accoutrement: Bonnie’s Jams Cranberry Cherry Cabernet Conserve

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Prosciutto

  • Wine: Jacques Bardelot Champagne Brut

  • Beer: BRLO Winter Cider

  • Other: Mitica Caramelized Pecans

Neal's Yard Dairy Appleby's Cheshire

7. Neal’s Yard Dairy Sparkenhoe Red Leicester

This complex raw cow’s milk cheese is clothbound and aged to develop moist, umami-forward crumbles, with a striking saffron hue that makes for an eye-catching centerpiece on any cheese board. Match the robust meatiness of this cheese with savory pairings like mustard and charcuterie, or contrast it with a tawny port and crisp apple slices.

Pair It With

  • Cracker: 34 Degrees Crisps Original Crisps

  • Accoutrement: Bonnie’s Jams Cranberry Cherry Cabernet Conserve

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Soppressata

  • Wine: Croft Port Reserve Tawny

  • Beer: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Celebration IPA

  • Other: Mitica Marcona Almonds

Mons Pyrénées Brebis

8. Hervé Mons Pyrénées Brebis

Crafted in the forest of the French Pyrénées and aged for six months by renowned affineur Hervé Mons, this sheep milk cheese is made according to Basque tradition, resulting in an approachable cheese that’s still complex. Nutty and rich with a uniformly smooth and creamy texture, it’s delightful paired with stone fruit preserves.

Pair It With

  • Cracker: 34 Degrees Crisps Original Crisps

  • Accoutrement: Bonnie’s Jams Cranberry Cherry Cabernet Conserve

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Prosciutto

  • Wine: La Coulée Sancerre

  • Beer: Brasserie d’Achouffe La Chouffe Blonde Belgian Ale

  • Other: jcoco Dark Chocolate Flight

Papillon Roquefort

9. Papillon Révélation Roquefort

This unmistakable raw sheep milk blue owes its assertive spicy flavor to a mold that gives the cheese its taste and blue veins — derived from rye bread made in Roquefort’s own bread oven. The cheese is aged in natural caves for at least three months in order to develop these characteristic veins and a robust, complex flavor.

Pair It With

  • Cracker: 34 Degrees Crisps Original Crisps

  • Accoutrement: Dalmatia Organic Fig Chili Spread

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Genoa Salami

  • Wine: Croft Port Reserve Tawny

  • Beer: Lindemans Framboise Lambic

  • Other: Mitica Marcona Almonds

Quattro Portoni Quadrello di Bufala

10. Ca De Ambros Taleggio

Produced for generations in the heart of Val Taleggio, in an Alpine valley in Lombardy, this washed-rind cow’s milk cheese is aged for 45 days to produce a creamy, marshmallow-like interior with a mild, pleasingly funky finish. Serve it with soppressata and prosecco for a true trifecta of flavor.

Pair It With

  • Cracker: La Panzanella Mini Original Croccantini

  • Accoutrement: Dalmatia Organic Fig Chili Spread

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Soppressata

  • Wine: Presto Prosecco

  • Beer: Allagash Brewing Company Ski House Winter Ale

  • Other: Mitica Marcona Almonds

Klare Melk Truffle Gouda

11. Mitica Alisios

This distinctive cheese is made with milk from both Canary Island cows and goats, then rubbed with Spanish paprika before it’s aged for three months. The resulting cheese features a smooth, toasty interior and a smoky-sweet rind — perfect with Mitica Marcona Almonds or served as an unexpected dessert pairing with dried figs and bourbon.

Pair It With

  • Cracker: 34 Degrees Crisps Original Crisps

  • Accoutrement: Savannah Bee Company Honey for Cheese

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Prosciutto

  • Wine: La Coulée Sancerre

  • Beer: Clausthaler Non-Alcoholic Santa Holiday Brew

  • Other: Mitica Marcona Almonds

Emmi Kaltbach Le Gruyère

12. Emmi Kaltbach Cave-Aged Le Gruyère

Twelve months of aging in sandstone caves allows this Gruyère to develop a fruity tanginess and clusters of crystals that satisfyingly melt on the tongue. This nutty Swiss cheese is delicious with stone fruit preserves, melted over French onion soup or enjoyed with dark chocolate.

Pair It With

  • Cracker: La Panzanella Mini Original Croccantini

  • Accoutrement: Bonnie’s Jams Cranberry Cherry Cabernet Conserve

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Genoa Salami

  • Wine: Presto Prosecco

  • Beer: Samuel Smith’s Brewery Organic Chocolate Stout

  • Other: jcoco Dark Chocolate Flight

*Must be 21+. Please drink responsibly.
**Valid 12/13–12/24/24. Select cheese as marked only. While supplies last. Quantity limits apply. Quantities limited. No rain checks except where required by law. Must identify as a Prime member to receive Prime price.

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