The Best Places in the South of France for Cheese and Wine
France is the home of romance, wine, and many incredibly delicious cheeses. With around 40 protected cheese varieties that can only be produced in their region of origin, France is rightly proud of its heritage, making a cheese and vineyard tour of France a perfect foodie holiday to take.
You can often drive to iconic wine and cider towns from many famous cheese producing locations, so you can easily spend an afternoon feasting on the best French cheeses before sampling superb drinks in the evening.
One tip for your tour: make sure to leave space in the car so that you can stock up on supplies of the best French wines and best French cheeses while you’re there!
Brie and Champagne
To brie or not to brie? The answer is always to brie! The first stop on your cheese and vineyard tour of France is the region of Seine-et-Marne, formerly known as Brie, an hour-and-a-half’s drive from the port of Calais. This wonderful soft cheese can be made all over the world, but the protected varieties are Brie de Meaux and Brie de Melun, both of which are named after local towns. Not only are these cheeses made and ripened in the region, but they even use milk from local cows – giving them that distinct rich and creamy taste.
So what better way to sample authentic Brie than at a traditional cheese farm? Fromagerie Ganot claims itself the oldest traditional cheese factory, founded in 1895. Here, you can take a tour of the cheese museum, visit the maturing cellars and, best of all, have a cheese tasting to try the goods!
Once you’ve filled up – and stocked up – drive just over an hour to the town of Épernay, the self-claimed ‘capitale du Champagne’. The journey along the beautiful Champagne Route takes you past iconic houses such as Moët et Chandon, Mercier and Perrier-Jouët on Avenue de Champagne. Set up base for the night and enjoy a luxurious evening of brie and bubbles. Because what’s better than gorging on the best French cheese and wine after a day of driving through the French countryside?
Cheese Tours in Camembert and Calvados
Combine the best of Normandy’s countryside charm, historic beaches, and a pride-filled cheese-making history and you’ll get an idea of what to expect when you explore this region during your cheese tour of France. Begin by visiting La Maison du Camembert, in Camembert itself, where you can see summer exhibitions held by local artists, and can even have your portrait printed on your own personal cheese box. Next, head to the historic Manoir de Beaumoncel, where Camembert was first made by accident during the French Revolution by 18th century farmer Marie Harel.
As well as its fantastic cheese, Normandy is also famous for its apple cider, particularly Calvados apple brandy. So why not pair your cheese with apples instead of grapes? You can sample some of this sweet tipple without venturing far by driving just 15 minutes from Camembert to Ecomusée de la Pomme au Calvados. Built on an old cider production site, this eco-museum features original 20th century preserving vats and takes you through the distilling process.
Cheese tours and Vineyards south of France – Roquefort and Faugères
Do you dream of rooms filled with cheese? Then you’ll be in heaven in the southern French cheese caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, which are naturally full of the mould that gives Roquefort its distinctive tangy flavour. Legend has it that Roquefort was discovered when a shepherd dropped his cheese sandwich in these caves in search of a beautiful girl that walked past. When he returned days later, he found that the cheese had grown mould and now tasted even better.
Only cheese aged in these unique, natural caves can claim the name Roquefort. Visiting between December and June means you’ll get to see (and smell) rows of the maturing cheese wheels. You can still tour the facilities all year round, but you won’t see any cheeses maturing – however there are always plenty of samples on offer on these incredible cheese tours.
To find an exquisite wine to go with this beautiful blue cheese, drive an hour south to Faugères, which lies in the prestigious Languedoc-Roussillon region. The vineyards in this Southern France wine region produce powerful flavours for red, white and rosé wines, meaning there’s plenty of choice to suit all tastes as you take your cheese and wine tasting journey to southern France for some incredible wine tours. Faugères covers seven picturesque villages, so rent a villa and watch the stunning southern French sunset with a glass of the best French wine in hand and a board full of delicious French cheeses.
Ready to plan your cheese and wine tours of France’s vineyards? Book your ferry to Calais today and start planning your foodie holiday.
