Milk quality plays a crucial role in cheesemaking, and the season in which milk is produced has a significant impact on the final product. Among all seasonal variations, spring milk is often considered one of the best for cheesemaking. But why? The answer lies in a combination of factors, including cow diet, milk composition, and the way these elements influence cheese texture, flavour and aroma.
SEE ALSO: How the choice of milk impacts the final cheese you make →
In this article, we’ll explore why spring milk makes great cheese, diving into the science behind it and highlighting some famous cheeses made from spring milk.
The impact of seasonality on milk quality
Milk composition changes throughout the year due to variations in temperature, humidity and diet. Winter milk, for example, is richer in fat and protein, as cows are often fed silage and hay. Summer milk, on the other hand, may have a lower fat content due to heat stress and reduced pasture quality.
Spring milk, however, strikes a perfect balance. It comes after a long winter when cows transition from stored feed to fresh grass. This dietary shift influences the milk’s fat and protein content, as well as its vitamin and mineral profile, making it highly desirable for cheesemaking.
Why spring milk is ideal for cheesemaking
Why it is all great to claim that spring milk makes the best cheese, let’s take a look at the science behind why that is the case.
Fresh pasture improves milk composition
In spring, cows return to lush, rapidly growing pasture. This fresh grass is rich in:
- Beta-carotene – A precursor to vitamin A, which enhances cheese colour and may contribute to a richer flavour.
- Omega-3 fatty acids – Leading to a more balanced fat profile that affects the texture and flavour of cheese.
- Essential minerals – Including calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, which support healthy curd formation.
- Microbial diversity – Beneficial bacteria from the environment, which influence the ripening process in raw milk cheeses.
Beta-carotene, in particular, plays a significant role in cheese appearance. It gives grass-fed butter and cheese a golden hue, distinguishing it from the pale white colour of milk produced from cows eating stored feed.
The perfect balance of fat and protein
Cheese requires an ideal fat-to-protein ratio for proper texture and consistency. Spring milk provides:
- Higher butterfat levels – Leading to a creamier, more luxurious mouthfeel in cheese.
- Balanced casein content – Improving curd stability and enhancing cheese structure.
This is especially important for Alpine cheeses, where the correct fat and protein balance ensures proper ageing. The right balance helps prevent cheese from becoming too dry or too soft over time.
Improved curd formation and moisture retention
The quality of casein proteins in milk determines how well curds form and how much moisture they retain. Spring milk’s high-quality proteins lead to:
- Stronger curd cohesion, making it easier to work with in cheesemaking.
- Higher moisture retention, which is ideal for soft cheeses like Camembert and Brie.
- A more elastic texture in aged cheeses like Parmigiano Reggiano and Gruyère.
This is due to an optimal balance of alpha-casein, beta-casein and kappa-casein, which determines how milk coagulates and the final cheese texture.
The influence of spring milk on cheese flavour and aroma
Spring milk delivers unique aromatic compounds that enhance cheese flavour. These include:
- Terpenes – Derived from fresh grass and wildflowers, contributing herbal, floral, and nutty notes.
- Phenols and lactones – Giving cheese a more complex and layered flavour.
- Short-chain fatty acids – Contributing to the distinctive tangy, buttery, and umami flavours.
Cheeses made from spring milk often have a sweet, grassy, nutty or floral flavour that sets them apart from those made from winter or summer milk.
Famous cheeses made from spring milk
Some of the world’s best cheeses are made using spring milk, as it enhances their flavour, texture, and aging properties. Let’s explore a few examples:
1. Comté (France)
- Type: Hard, Alpine cheese
- Milk: Raw cow’s milk
- Aging: 4 to 24 months
- Flavour: Sweet, nutty and slightly fruity with a buttery finish
Comté is made in the Jura region of France and is highly influenced by seasonal milk variations. The best wheels come from spring and summer milk, as cows graze on fresh Alpine pastures rich in herbs and wildflowers. This contributes to Comté’s complex nutty, floral, and caramel-like flavours.
2. Parmigiano Reggiano (Italy)
- Type: Hard, aged cheese
- Milk: Raw, partially skimmed cow’s milk
- Aging: 12 to 36 months
- Flavour: Umami-rich, nutty and slightly fruity with crunchy tyrosine crystals
Spring milk plays a crucial role in Parmigiano Reggiano production because it provides the ideal balance of fat, protein and casein content. This ensures a dense yet crumbly texture that allows the cheese to develop its signature umami depth and crunchy protein crystals over long ageing periods.
3. Gruyère (Switzerland)
- Type: Hard, Alpine cheese
- Milk: Raw cow’s milk
- Aging: 5 to 24 months
- Flavour: Sweet, nutty and slightly fruity with caramel undertones
Gruyère is another Alpine cheese that benefits from spring milk’s richer fat content. This leads to a more supple, melt-in-your-mouth texture and enhances the caramelized, buttery notes that develop with ageing.
4. Camembert (France)
- Type: Soft, bloomy rind cheese
- Milk: Raw or pasteurized cow’s milk
- Aging: 3 to 5 weeks
- Flavour: Buttery, mushroomy and slightly grassy
Spring milk improves Camembert’s creaminess and rind development. The presence of beneficial microbes from fresh grass allows Penicillium camemberti to flourish, resulting in a beautiful white bloom and soft, oozing texture.
5. West Country Cheddar (UK)
- Type: Hard cheese
- Milk: Raw or pasteurized cow’s milk
- Aging: 6 to 18 months
- Flavour: Rich, nutty, and slightly tangy with grassy undertones
Traditional West Country Cheddar, made in Somerset and Devon, benefits from the lush spring pastures that provide grassy, nutty and slightly sweet notes to the cheese.
How to tell if cheese is made from spring milk
Some artisanal cheesemakers highlight seasonal variations in their cheeses. Here’s how to identify spring milk cheeses:
- Look for seasonal batch labels – Some producers note the milk’s season of production.
- Check for grass-fed labels – These often indicate cheese made from spring or summer milk.
- Taste for floral and grassy notes – Spring milk cheeses often have distinct herbal, nutty or floral flavours.
Some dairies even offer limited-edition cheeses made exclusively from spring milk, celebrating its unique qualities.
Conclusion
Spring milk makes exceptional cheese due to its higher butterfat content, balanced proteins, improved microbial diversity and complex aromatic compounds. Some of the most celebrated cheeses in the world—Comté, Parmigiano Reggiano, Gruyère, Camembert, and West Country Cheddar—owe much of their flavour and texture to milk harvested in spring.
If you ever get the chance to taste a spring milk cheese, pay attention to its creaminess, sweetness, and floral undertones—a direct reflection of lush pastures and nature’s renewal.
Would you like recommendations on seasonal cheese pairings? You can find out more in this blog post about how to assemble the best springtime cheese board.
Cheese lover. Scientist. Created a website and a Youtube channel about cheese science because he could not find answers to his questions online.
