Cheese-to-Wine Ratio for Fondue (~200g Cheese per 100mL Wine)

200g per serving

Aged cheese (Gruyère, Emmental, or blend) — Grated finely for even, rapid melting

100mL per serving

Dry white wine (Chasselas, Muscadet, or similar) — Acid in wine prevents fat separation; avoid oaked styles

1 tsp per 200g cheese

Cornstarch (or potato starch) — Coats protein strands and prevents clumping; toss cheese in it before adding

1 tbsp per 200g cheese

Kirsch (cherry eau-de-vie) — Traditional; adds flavor and a further dose of alcohol/acid

1 clove, halved

Garlic — Rubbed around the caquelon interior; flavor only, not a structural component

Rub a heavy earthenware caquelon (or enameled cast-iron pot) with a cut garlic clove. Add wine and bring to a bare simmer over medium heat — bubbles should just break the surface. Toss grated cheese with cornstarch until evenly coated. Add cheese in three or four handfuls, stirring in a figure-eight or Z-pattern after each addition to promote even melting and prevent clumping. Once fully incorporated and glossy, stir in kirsch. Adjust heat to maintain a gentle bubble. If too thick, add a splash of warm wine; if too thin, raise heat briefly while stirring.

• Always grate cheese yourself — pre-shredded cheese is coated in cellulose and anti-caking agents that impede emulsification.
• The wine must reach a simmer before adding cheese; adding cheese to cold wine almost guarantees a broken fondue.
• A figure-eight stirring motion keeps cheese in constant motion, preventing hot spots where proteins can seize.
• If the fondue breaks (fat separates), whisk a tablespoon of cornstarch slurry (cornstarch + cold wine) directly into the pot over medium heat while stirring vigorously.
• Serve over a burner that maintains a bare simmer — boiling will cause the proteins to tighten and the fat to leak out.
• Residual crust (la religieuse) that forms on the bottom of the caquelon is considered a delicacy in Switzerland; loosen it with a spatula and share.

• Moitié-Moitié

  Classic Swiss blend of equal parts Gruyère and Fribourg Vacherin; notably silkier and more aromatic than all-Gruyère

• Fondue Savoyarde

  Uses Comté, Beaufort, and Abondance; wine is often Apremont from Savoie; earthier and nuttier

• Fondue Fribourgeoise

  All Vacherin Fribourgeois, melted in water not wine; creamier, more delicate, traditionally stirred with a wooden spoon not a fork

• Beer Fondue

  Replace wine with lager or wheat beer; reduce or omit kirsch; pairs well with aged Cheddar or Raclette-style cheese

• Tomato Fondue

  Add 2 tbsp tomato purée per 200g cheese and reduce wine slightly; pairs with Gruyère and fresh herbs

• Béchamel (Roux to Milk)

  Another fat-starch-liquid emulsion, though fully cooked and starch-dominant

• Mornay Sauce Cheese-to-Béchamel

  Cheese melted into a finished white sauce rather than an acid-stabilized fondue

• Compound Butter (Flavoring to Butter)

  Shares the principle of incorporating aromatics into a fat base at a fixed ratio

1. 1.Mastering the Art of French Cooking — Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck
2. 2.The Food Lab — J. Kenji López-Alt (emulsification science)
3. 3.Swiss Cheese Union Official Fondue Guidelines (Schweizerische Käseunion)
4. 4.On Food and Cooking — Harold McGee (protein denaturation and emulsification in cheese)

Confidence: high