Ferme-Auberge du Salzbach
High-pasture farm-inn on the Route des Crêtes at 1,180 m, turning the milk of its dairy herd into Bargkass, Cœur de Massif, Cendré des Chaumes, flavoured tommes, butter and fresh cheese. Open Easter to 1 November.
About Cœur de Massif
A young Vosges cheese, created in October 2015 by breeders to save the Vosgienne cow breed. It is a cooked, pressed raw-milk slab, a square block about 29.5 by 28 cm and 6 to 8 cm high, weighing 5 to 8 kg when aged. Producers follow a charter: at least 55% Vosgienne cows at joining, rising 5% a year, fed on pasture grass with no silage or maize. It is protected by a charter, not by an AOP.
Made in: Vosges massif: parts of Haut-Rhin, Bas-Rhin, Vosges, Meurthe-et-Moselle and Moselle, plus parts of Haute-Saône and the Territoire de Belfort
On the plate
A tender, creamy paste (Le Guide du Fromage: moelleux, onctueux), ivory-yellow with small openings, under a fine, irregular natural rind, grey to brown, on which yellow to brown blooms can develop.
Rind: natural crust
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Cœur de Massif
Pinot Gris Alsace
Our pickCœur de Massif is a mild, supple, creamy cooked-pressed cheese. A Pinot Gris with some body, dry or lightly off-dry, matches that weight and creaminess without drowning the paste's gentle flavour.
Pinot Noir Alsace
Our pickAlsace Pinot Noir is medium-bodied, with bright acidity and modest tannin, so it meets the supple, creamy paste of a mild pressed cheese without drying it out or covering its flavour.
The grapes behind these winesPinot GrisPinot Noir
From the source
Where to buy and taste it
Maison Lorho
Fromagerie in central Strasbourg run by Christelle and Cyrille Lorho, both Meilleurs Ouvriers de France fromagers. About 250 cheeses, matured in their Vosges caves, plus cheese boards and raclettes.
Fromagerie Saint-Nicolas, Colmar
Colmar shop of a family affineur founded in 1981, with ageing caves at Buhl. More than 400 cheeses, custom boards, and a stand in the covered market.
La Cloche à Fromage
Strasbourg fromagerie trading under the Fromagerie Tourrette name: over 200 cheeses matured in its own cellars, custom platters, wines and groceries, with the La Cloche à Fromage restaurant a few steps away.
Crèmerie Perrin
Long-established Strasbourg crèmerie run by Goretti Christen: mostly raw-milk cheeses, Swiss alpine types, and Alsace Munster, farm goat cheeses and Bargkass.
Cheese experiences nearby
La Maison du Fromage, Vallée de Munster
Self-guided visit of about 1h30 with films, exhibitions, the cowshed and the stages of making Munster, ending with a commented tasting of three cheeses (Siaskass, Munster, Barikass). Shop and restaurant on site; visits run in timed slots, best booked online.
Route du Fromage, Munster valley
Cheese route established in 1968, about 90 km from the Maison du Fromage in Gunsbach by the D417 to the Col de la Schlucht, along the Route des Crêtes, then down by Le Schnepfenried. Farm-inns on the high pastures serve mountain meals with Munster.
Marcaire meal at the Salzbach farm-inn
Mountain farm meal at 1,180 m: the farm's daily menu runs to tourte with salad, smoked collar with potatoes, a plate of the farm's own cheeses and dessert; the dairy makes Bargkass, Cœur de Massif and tommes. Open Easter to 1 November; booking a table is strongly advised.
Colmar covered market, Saint-Nicolas cheese stand
Fromagerie Saint-Nicolas keeps a stand in Colmar's covered market, selling its matured cheeses and custom boards; the hall, on the rue des Écoles, lists a fromagerie among its vendors.
Munster weekly market
Weekly food and textile market on the Place du Marché in Munster, held Tuesday and Saturday mornings; the valley tourist office lists local cheeses, charcuterie and breads among the produce.
Cœur de Massif: questions
What is Cœur de Massif?
A cheese made since 2015 mainly from Vosgienne cow milk, created by breeders in the Vosges massif to support the breed, per ici (formerly France Bleu) and Le Guide du Fromage.
How big is a Cœur de Massif?
Le Guide du Fromage gives a square slab of 29.5 by 28 cm, 6 to 8 cm high, weighing 5 to 8 kg after ageing.
Is it an AOP cheese?
No. It follows a producers' charter, not an AOP.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Alsace
Plan the trip
Visit Cœur de Massif country
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
Booking links go to our partners (GetYourGuide, Viator, Zen Hotels), who may pay us a commission. It never decides what we cover. Editorial standards.
Sources: www.leguidedufromage.com, www.ici.fr. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.