Whole Foods Unveils 12 Days of Cheese

Giving the impossibly perfect gift this season might seem, well, impossible—but Whole Foods has your back. Its annual 12 Days of Cheese runs December 12 through December 23, with each day highlighting a select artisan cheese. If you aren't already running to your car, let me tell you the best part: every day, a high-quality cheese will be 50 percent off—yes, you read that right—with Prime members able to tack on an additional 10 percent off. I can already hear the pitter patter of eager consumer feet.

“Our team is extremely excited to share the cheeses we’ve identified for this holiday season with our shoppers,” said Global Executive Coordinator of Specialty and Product Innovation & Development, Cathy Strange, in a press release. “We’ve curated a diverse and innovative selection, including several world champion cheeses and a few exclusive cheeses you can only get at your local Whole Foods Market. The 12 Days of Cheese is truly a celebration of our favorite cheeses and they will each be available at an incredible value for one day only!”

According to that press release, the featured cheeses include:

• Dec. 12: Klare Melk Truffle Gouda
• Exquisite, rich, and flavorful raw milk gouda laced generously with truffles
• Dec. 13: Esquirrou Petit Ossau-Iraty
• Awarded the international title for best cheese at the World Championship Cheese contest, this French cheese features rich, nutty notes
• Dec. 14: Kaltbach Cave Aged Le Gruyère
• Robust and deeply full-flavored with rich tones of tangy fruit and classic nuttiness, this Swiss cheese perfect for fondue or paired with apple pie, potatoes, or roasted meats
• Dec. 15: Vermont Creamery Bijou
• French for “jewel,” Bijou is the perfect name for this small, geotrichum-rinded beauty featuring light citrus fruit forward flavors with a hint of nuts on the finish
• Dec. 16: Mons Camembert
• This delicate, slightly salty yet smooth and earthy cheese was selected exclusively for Whole Foods Market from one of the most respected affineurs in France
• Dec. 17: Neal’s Yard Dairy Keen’s Cheddar
• This protected designation of origin (PDO) recognized raw milk farm-house Cheddar comes from one of only three traditional producers remaining in the UK, boasting a dense yet creamy texture and complex flavors ranging from brothy to spicy
• Dec. 18: Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog
• Conceived in a dream by Founder Mary Keehn, this delicious American original cheese paved the way for soft-ripened goat cheese in America
• Dec. 19: Uplands Cheese Company Pleasant Ridge Reserve
• Modeled on the French classic cheese Beaufort, this raw milk cheese is only produced May through October and is the only cheese to win Best in Show at the American Cheese Society three times. It feature sweetness ranging from grassy to butterscotch and fruit
• Dec. 20: Saxon Creamery Hika Bay
• This exclusive-to-Whole Foods Market Wisconsin cheese was named as one of the top 16 cheeses in the world (selected from 3,401 cheeses); carefully aged, the cheese is smooth and creamy with amazing texture
• Dec. 21: Rogue Creamery Organic Enraptured Blue
• Exclusive to Whole Foods Market, this decadent blue is soaked in a blend of biodynamic Merlot, Syrah, and Zinfandel from the Frey Vineyards, giving the cheese rich and buttery flavors with notes of currants and berries
• Dec. 22: Mitica Drunken Goat
• Made from the milk of Murciana goats and soaked for three days in Monastrell wine, both the cheese and wine are typical to this region of Spain, this mild and creamy goat cheese is well balanced and perfect for entertaining
• Dec. 23: Cellars at Jasper Hill Kombucha Willoughby
• Vermont classic reflects the terroir with its succulent, buttery, and aromatic components. The cheese is complex from first taste with subtle undertones of buttermilk and fruit. This year’s Willoughby is washed with organic Dr. Kombucha Love produced in Oregon, adding notes of jasmine & lavender

All of these cheeses were chosen by Whole Food’s global experts; they also collaborated with Whole Food’s Certified Cheese Professionals. This highly-trained group has been certified by the American Cheese Society for their expertise in cheese storage and handling, nutrition, distribution, raw materials, the ripening process, the making process, and on categories and types of cheeses.

I’ll be there every day, fellow cheese lovers, singing an updated version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas."