Why the Loire Valley is the capital of AOP goat cheese
No other French region brings together five goat-cheese appellations in such a compact area. The reason is geological: the tuffeau and flinty-clay soils, the well-drained slopes and the damp meadows of the Indre, Cher and Loire valleys give the herds an ideal pasture. Cheese-making here is documented from the Middle Ages, reinforced — so the legend goes — by the arrival of the goat during the Saracen incursions of the 8th century. Today each of these five cheeses tells the story of a precise micro-terroir. Tasting them side by side is like reading a geological map with your palate. From Meung-sur-Loire, you sit right at the centre of gravity of this goat-cheese country.
Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine: the log with the straw
This is the most emblematic. A long ash-coated log run through with a rye straw — engraved with the appellation name — which holds the curd together and makes slicing easier. AOP since 1990, it is made south of Tours, roughly 1h15 from Meung-sur-Loire. The paste is fine, slightly tangy when young, then mellows and develops notes of hazelnut and undergrowth as it matures over three to four weeks. The ashy rind regulates moisture and lends a mineral softness. Serve it at the start of a platter, from freshest to most mature. It is the perfect cheese for understanding how a goat cheese evolves over time, from a chalky bite to a melting heart.
Selles-sur-Cher: ashy gentleness
A small truncated-cone disc coated in a grey-blue ash of vegetable charcoal, Selles-sur-Cher is probably the most approachable of the five — the one that converts the sceptics. AOP since 1975, it comes from the Cher valley in the Loir-et-Cher, just over an hour's drive away. The paste is tender, gentle and lightly salted, with a lactic length and a touch of fresh hazelnut. It lacks the sharpness of some goat cheeses: here everything is roundness. It is the one I offer first to children and cautious palates. You will find it easily at the Meung-sur-Loire market on Sunday mornings. A safe bet to open a platter or to accompany a summer salad.
Valençay: the truncated pyramid
Its shape is a signature: a pyramid with a flattened top, coated in black ash, born — so the legend says — of the hat of a Napoleon irritated by a reminder of Egypt at the home of Talleyrand, whose Château de Valençay lies only a few kilometres away. AOP since 1998, it is made in the Indre and southern Loir-et-Cher, about 1h20 from Meung-sur-Loire. The paste is firm and compact, the flavour direct, goaty without excess, with a faintly caramelised finish. Its ashy rind wrinkles handsomely as it matures. Visiting Talleyrand's château and then buying the cheese of the same name from a nearby producer makes for a day that weds history and terroir, just the way we like it here.
Crottin de Chavignol: the character of Sancerre
The smallest and the most powerful. A domed 60-gram disc from the slopes of Chavignol, in the heart of the Sancerre vineyard, 1h15 from Meung-sur-Loire. AOP since 1976. Young, it is mild and lactic; aged, it turns dry, dense and almost brittle, with an intense, lingering flavour. The word "crottin" is said to come from "crot", the old name for the riverbanks where the cheese-making clay was dug. Warmed on a slice of bread, it gives the canonical warm goat-cheese salad. But it is raw, with a glass of white Sancerre from the same slope, that it reaches its truth. Geographical closeness and gustatory harmony: the quintessential local marriage.
Pouligny-Saint-Pierre: the pointed pyramid
Nicknamed the "Eiffel Tower" or the "pointed pyramid", it is a slender cone with a sharp, untruncated top that sets it apart from Valençay at a glance. AOP since 1972 — one of the oldest — it is made around the village of Pouligny-Saint-Pierre in the south of the Indre, nearly 1h45 from Meung-sur-Loire, in the wetlands of the Brenne. The paste is fine and melting, the flavour floral and delicately goaty, with the freshness of green hazelnut. It is the most confidential of the five, the least exported and therefore the most exciting to track down. If you come across it at a cheesemonger in Orléans or Blois, do not walk past: it is the ideal way to complete the set of five AOP cheeses on a single platter.
Wine pairings: goat cheese and Loire whites
The golden rule: what grows together goes together. A raw Crottin de Chavignol calls for a white Sancerre, a bright, mineral sauvignon whose acidity cuts the richness of the cheese. The gentler Selles-sur-Cher pairs with a Touraine sauvignon or a dry Vouvray. A mature Sainte-Maure stands up to an off-dry Vouvray whose sweetness balances the salt. Valençay matches a Reuilly or a Quincy, immediate neighbours. Avoid tannic reds, which harden the cheese. For an introduction at home, I suggest three cheeses and two dry whites: compare, take notes, start again. It is the ideal tasting for a summer evening on the terrace.
Farms and markets to buy direct
Buying at the farm means tasting the cheese at its best and meeting the person who makes it. Several farmhouse producers of each AOP welcome visitors by appointment for a tour of the goat shed and a tasting, notably around Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine, Selles-sur-Cher and Chavignol. The "Bienvenue à la Ferme" label lists the farms open to the public. Simpler still: the Sunday-morning market in Meung-sur-Loire, on the Place du Martroi, where affineurs present several AOP cheeses cut to order. Les Halles Châtelet in Orléans (25 minutes away) have a cheesemonger with a fine maturing cellar all week. Always ask to taste before buying: a good affineur never refuses.
The five AOP goat cheeses of the Loire Valley make up one of the finest platters in France, provided you gather them and taste them in the right order. From La Maison du Château in Meung-sur-Loire, every terroir is within two hours, and the Sunday market already brings several of them together.