Wine glass made from Gouda on sale for $5,000

 A Finnish cheesemonger has produced a limited edition run of glassware made from Gouda and Gruyere cheese – priced at US$5,000 (£3,740) – to mark 100 years of Finnish independence.

Finlandia, a Finnish cheese brand available in the US, commissioned sculptors Jim Victor and Marie Pelton to handcraft the “world’s first” wine and beer glasses made out of cheese to commemorate Finland’s independence, which was achieved 100 years ago on 6 December 1917. 

The edible set includes a 16-ounce beer glass and one eight-ounce stemless wine glass, with each one featuring an embossed Finnish flag, but will set you back a rather hefty $5,000.

According to a press release, the beer mug was sculpted out of imported gruyere, and is therefore the perfect accompaniment to bocks, stouts, wheat beers, and hefeweizens, while the wine glass is made from gouda.

“To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Finland, we wanted to create something symbolic that is a gesture to the dozens of Finnish family-owned farms who have dedicated over 110 years of passion and dedication to making some of the world’s very best cheeses,” said Marcie Foster, director of marketing and brand development.

“Our Commemorative Cheeseware delivers exactly that as they create the opportunity to toast the accomplishments of our company’s heritage while showcasing the legendary taste and the quality craftmanship that Finlandia Cheese customers have grown to expect.”

Justifying its price tag Victor told the Huffington Post that he could probably make three in a day, such is the skill involved in carving a glass from a solid block of cheese.

“Gruyere is harder, so it’s easier to carve than Gouda, but it also has more of a grain so it can have faults in it – like the Earth. Gouda is softer, but it doesn’t have the grain.”

While this is the first known cheese glass to have been offered up at such a price, it’s not the first glass made out of cheese. Last year a video posted on YouTube describing how to make wine glasses from cheese went viral.

It described how to make a shot glass from cheese by melting Cheddar and then setting it in a silicone mould, offering a receptacle to drink wine from, and then devour in one.

Those wishing to snap up one of Finlandia’s cheesy glassware sets have until 11:59 pm EST on December 6th to place an order through Finlandia’s Facebook page, Facebook.com/FinlandiaCheese.