Travel: Among the many reasons to visit Amish country are its cheese and wine destinations

MILLERSBURG — The reason that so many travelers to Ohio’s Amish country say “cheese” has nothing to do with selfies.

Cheese-making is a long-time tradition, craft and business in and around Holmes County, a region that also comprises the largest community of Amish in the world.

Travelers to Amish Country can enjoy many attractions including other tasty, fresh and hearty foodstuffs; Amish and Mennonite cultural and historic sites; locally-crafted furniture, quilts and more; and beautiful rural scenery.

But the cheese, standing alone, is reason enough for a visit. The region’s cheesemakers use fresh milk from area dairy farms, many of them Amish, to produce a variety of award-winning cheeses prized throughout Ohio and far beyond.

Guggisberg Cheese one of the standouts

Guggisberg Cheese (www.babyswiss.com), is located at 5060 Ohio Route 557, near the appropriately named village of Charm.

The visitors center and store at the cheese factory is built with the highly ornamental “Swiss chalet”-style of architecture found at several tourist stops in Amish Country. The style harkens to the central European origins of many immigrants to the area, including the Guggisberg family, who began making cheese here nearly 80 years ago after arriving from Switzerland.

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Guggisberg claims to have originated the “baby Swiss” style of cheese, with a milder taste (and smaller holes) than its traditional Swiss big brother. Guggisberg founder Alfred Guggisberg was looking for a style of Swiss cheese that would appeal to “the less-developed American palate,” according to the company catalog.

Fair enough: Guggisberg’s baby Swiss was named Best Cheese in the USA in 2019 at the annual United States Championship Cheese Contest in Wisconsin. (And whatever the state of American palates, Guggisberg’s traditional Premium Swiss won the same contest in 2015.)

Guggisberg was also named Grand Champion cheesemaker at this year’s Ohio State Fair.

Visitors to Guggisberg can watch through display windows as the the cheese is being made, and can take purchases to the lovely grounds and garden for a quick (or long) do-it-yourself cheese-tasting. Good luck with saving any for home.

Heini's Cheese Chalet has long history

Heini’s Cheese Chalet (www.bunkerhillcheese.com) is located at 6005 County Road 77 In the bustling town of Berlin, which is packed with attractions — and often with tourists seeking out Amish and other locally crafted goods and comestibles.

But don’t let the crowds chase you off. Heini’s, where the Bunker Hill brand is made, has been producing cheese even longer than Guggisberg. When you stop for a sample, you’ll understand how they’ve been in business for so long — and probably find yourself taking home more than a sample.

The founder of Heini’s also emigrated from Switzerland, and Heini’s Cheese Chalet also features decorative Swiss-style architecture.

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But my favorite feature at Heini’s (besides the cheese, of course) is The History of Cheese Making, two monumental murals inside the site’s gift shop that should be an attraction in their own right.

The first mural illustrates cheese-making in the Old World, beginning in 300 B.C.! The second follows cheese-making through the New World, ending with that epitome of cheese, Heini’s.

Visitors to Heini’s can also watch cheesemakers at work through windows from the cheese store.

Pearl Valley Cheese boasts variety of products

Pearl Valley Cheese (www.pearlvalleycheese.com) is at 54760 Township Road 90, Fresno, just off Ohio Route 93 in northeastern Coshocton County, a few miles outside what is traditionally thought of as Amish country.

Given its location and relatively isolated rural setting, visitors may find themself fighting less congestion than at popular Amish country destinations. Pearl Valley’s home is also less ornate than its nearby cheesy brethren. But the cheese-maker can still draw crowds eager to stock up on its award-winning products.

And, as at the other cheese-makers, visitors can watch the process through display windows from the retail cheese shop.

Cheese and wine, anyone?

Finally, what goes better with cheese than wine?

You’ll find both at Broad Run Cheese House (www.broadruncheese.com) at 6011 Old Route 39 NW just east of the village of Sugar Creek.

Broad Run, another site with Swiss chalet-style architecture, has a wide variety of cheese for sale, plus a popular selection of lace, curtains and other finery in its gift shop.

Although it’s not currently making cheese at the site, Broad Run does make wine at the adjacent Swiss Heritage Winery (www.swissheritagewinery.com), a great place for a tasting — especially, of course, when paired with some cheese.

And if you need more wine with your cheese, Breitenbach Wine Cellars (www.breitenbachwine.com) is a beautiful and popular destination winery located at 5934 Old Route 39 NW just across the road from Broad Run. Breitenbach also has its own retail cheese store, because who doesn’t want more cheese?

Steve Stephens is a freelance travel writer and photographer. Email him at sjstephensjr@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Standout cheese and wine shops to visit in Ohio Amish country