Oppenheim Cheese Market

The Oppenheim Cheese Market is one of the newer event formats in the Rhenish Hesse town's festival calendar and has quickly become a magnet for gourmets from Mainz, the Rheingau, and the entire Rhine-Main region since its premiere. The specialized market fills a gap in the town's November program, combining the culinary tradition of Rhenish Hesse with an international cheese offering.

The venue is the historic old town around the market square, extending into Krämerstraße and Wormser Straße. More than two dozen exhibitors set up their stalls, showcasing the full spectrum of European cheese culture. Hard cheeses like Comté, Beaufort, Parmigiano Reggiano, Sbrinz, and Bergkäse (mountain cheese) in various stages of aging; soft cheeses like Brie, Camembert, Pont-l'Évêque, and Münster; blue cheeses like Roquefort, Stilton, and Gorgonzola; fresh cheeses; and goat and sheep cheese specialties from the Mediterranean region.

The market places particular emphasis on manufacturers and small producers who make or refine their own products. Cheese affineurs explain the aging process, demonstrate different aging stages of the same cheese, and conduct tastings. Visitors can experience small, guided pairings at selected stalls: cheese meets wine, cheese meets bread, cheese meets honey or chutney.

The combination of cheese and wine plays a central role. Oppenheim and Rhenish Hesse vintners will be serving wines that pair well with the different types of cheese: dry Rieslings with hard cheeses, Spätlesen (late harvest wines) with blue cheeses, fresh Silvaners with fresh goat cheese, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) with aged mountain cheeses. These pairings are a key element of the market experience.

The cheese selection is complemented by suitable accompaniments: high-quality breads from regional bakeries, dried fruits, nuts, honey, chutneys, specialty mustards, and sausages from local production. Food stalls will offer warm cheese specialties such as Raclette, Tartiflette, Cheese Fondue, Cheese Soup, and Quiche.