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.

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. Save 35% with Prime — or 28% without Prime — on all 12 of the cheeses below for all 12 days, from December 13 through 24.

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

Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog cheese

1. Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog

Behold the artisan cheese that led the way for soft-ripened goat cheese in America. Savor the buttermilk and fresh cream, complemented with floral notes, herbaceous overtones and a clean citrus finish. Its flavor intensifies as it matures — a cheese dream come true.

Pair It With

  • Cracker: Lesley Stowe Raincoast Crisps Rosemary Raisin Pecan

  • Accoutrement: Savannah Bee Co. Whipped Honey

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Genoa Salami

  • Wine: Lubanzi Chenin Blanc (750 ML)

  • Beer: Clausthaler Non-Alcoholic Santa Ale (6 pk)

Image of Sweet Grass Dairy Thomasville Tomme Raw

2. Sweet Grass Dairy Thomasville Tomme

This raw cow’s milk cheese is aged at least 60 days for a creamy texture and a subtle yet complex earthy flavor. Made in the style of a French farmhouse table cheese, this is the semisoft cheese you want for slicing up on firm crackers and pairing with just a touch of sweetness.

Pair It With

  • Cracker: La Panzanella Mini Original Croccantini

  • Accoutrement: Bonnie's Jams Cranberry Cherry Cabernet

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Soppressata Salami

  • Wine: Barone Cornaccia Villa Torri Montepulciano D'Abruzzo

  • Beer: Orval Belgian Pale Ale

Cowgirl Creamery Organic Mt Tam cheese

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 Olive Oil Flatbread Sel Gris

  • Accoutrement: Bonnie's Jams Cranberry Cherry Cabernet

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Prosciutto

  • Wine: Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut Rosé NV

  • Beer: Rodenbach Classic (4 pk)

Jasper Hill Farm Cabot Clothbound

4. Jasper Hill Farm Cabot Clothbound Cheddar

It’s no wonder this collaboration between two Vermont icons has now lasted over two decades. Cabot Creamery sends wheels of young cheddar to Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, where they are wrapped in cloth and ripened in underground cellars. The resulting natural-rind bandaged cheddar is approachable yet complex, with a crumbly texture and nutty aroma.

Pair It With

  • Cracker: Rosemary Raisin Pecan Raincoast Crisps

  • Accoutrement: Savannah Bee Company Whipped Honey

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Prosciutto

  • Wine: Prisma Rosé

  • Beer: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

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: Rosemary Raisin Pecan Raincoast Crisps

  • Accoutrement: Divina Caramelized Onion Jam

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Genoa Sliced Salami

  • Wine: Prisma Rosé

  • Beer: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Vermont Creamery Bijou

6. Vermont Creamery Bijou

Modeled after a classic French style of goat cheese called crottin, Vermont Creamery’s Bijou is made with local goat’s milk, ladled by hand and slowly drained through cheesecloth. Each hand-shaped button of cheese is sharp and complex thanks to a 30-day aging and a snowy rind produced by Geotrichum, a straing of culture that produces distinctive wrinkles.

Pair It With

  • Cracker: Mitica Toketti di Pane Carasau

  • Accoutrement: Dalmatia Mini Sour Cherry Spread

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Prosciutto

  • Wine: Lubanzi Chenin Blanc

  • Beer: Allagash Brewing Company White Ale

Neal's Yard Dairy Appleby's Cheshire

7. Neal's Yard Dairy Appleby's Cheshire

Though farmhouse-style cheese was once one of the most famous styles of British cheeses, the Appleby family — of Hawkstone Abbey Farm — is now the only cheesemaker producing these raw-milk, clothbound wheels. This well-balanced cheese is rich in mineral flavors up front, followed by bright acidity and a succulent yet crumbly texture.

Pair It With

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

  • Accoutrement: Divina Caramelized Onion Jam

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Soppressata

  • Wine: Decoy Limited Pinot Noir

  • Cider: Samuel Smith Organic Cider

8. 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: La Panzanella Mini Original Croccantini

  • Accoutrement: Bonnie’s Jams Cranberry Cherry Cabernet

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Genoa Salami

  • Wine: Barone Cornacchia Villa Torri Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

  • Beer: Lindemans Framboise Lambic

Papillon Roquefort

9. Papillon 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: Mitica Toketti di Pane Carasau

  • Accoutrement: Dalmatia Mini Sour Cherry Spread

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Genoa Salami

  • Wine: Vine & Table Paso Robles Zinfandel

  • Beer: Chimay Grand Réserve

Quattro Portoni Quadrello di Bufala

10. Quattro Portoni Quadrello di Bufala

Soft with a rich interior and aromas of warmed milk and herbs, this washed-rind cheese is produced using pasteurized buffalo milk, then aged for a minimum of 30 days. Full-flavored with a creamy mouthfeel, this is a lovely addition to any cheese board.

Pair It With

  • Cracker: Mitica Toketti di Pane Carasau

  • Accoutrement: Dalmatia Mini Sour Cherry Spread

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Prosciutto

  • Wine: Lubanzi Chenin Blanc

  • Beer: Brasserie Dupont Saison Dupont

Klare Melk Truffle Gouda

11. Klare Melk Truffle Gouda

Produced on a family farm exclusively for Whole Foods Market, this creamy Dutch Gouda is generously flecked with black truffle for a robust umami flavor that announces itself in every bite. This cheese also shreds and melts well, making it ideal for enhancing omelet and pasta dishes.

Pair It With

  • Cracker: La Panzanella Mini Original Croccantini

  • Accoutrement: Savannah Bee Company Whipped Honey

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Soppressata

  • Wine: Veuve Clicquot Brut Rosé Champagne

  • Beer: Radeberger Pilsner (4 pk)

Emmi Kaltbach Le Gruyère

12. Emmi Kaltbach 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, which is exclusive to Whole Foods Market, is delicious with honey and nuts, melted over French onion soup or enjoyed on a baguette with thin-sliced ham and onion jam.

Pair It With

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

  • Accoutrement: Divina Caramelized Onion Jam

  • Charcuterie: Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Soppressata

  • Wine: Decoy Limited Pinot Noir

  • Beer: Ayinger Privatbrauerei Celebrator Doppelbock

Must be 21+. Please drink responsibly.

*Valid 12/13 – 12/24/23. Select cheeses as marked only. Excludes 12 Days of Cheese Sampler Bag. Discount taken at register. While supplies last. Quantity limits apply. Quantities limited. No rain checks except where required by law.

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