Fromagerie Lemarié
Fromager-affineur on rue d'Italie in Aix, run by Benoit Lemarié, with more than 150 varieties, raclette and fondue ranges and platters for receptions. Delivers free within the Pays d'Aix.
About Brousse du Rove
A fresh cheese from the garrigue hills behind Marseille, made from whole milk of the Rove goat. The milk is heated to about 90 C, cooled to about 70 C and curdled with spirit vinegar, and the curds are skimmed into elongated cone moulds about 12 cm long. French Wikipedia stresses that, unlike other brousses, it is made from milk rather than whey. It became an AOC in 2018 and an EU PDO in 2020, after eight breeders began the protection process in 2007 to set it apart from industrial imitations.
Made in: Dry limestone kermes-oak country of the Bouches-du-Rhône, the southern tip of Vaucluse and western Var, around Le Rove and the Étoile chain near Marseille
On the plate
Androuet describes a tender, light and creamy fresh cheese with a faint lactic smell, and it is not ripened. English Wikipedia describes the goats grazing scrubland of grass, broom, gorse and kermes oak, with thyme and rosemary.
Rind: none, eaten fresh
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Brousse du Rove
Pale, light-bodied Provence rosé (Côtes de Provence or IGP Méditerranée) Provence
Our pickFresh brousse is tender, creamy and mild, so a light rosé is enough. A pale, light-bodied Provence rosé made in steel, with citrus and red fruit over high acidity, refreshes it. Androuet lists rosé de Provence for this cheese.
Cassis rosé Provence
Our pickBrousse is a tender, mild fresh cheese with a faint lactic note. A direct-press Cassis rosé, built on Grenache and Cinsault, medium-bodied with high acidity and a salty finish, lifts the cream without weight.
Cassis blanc Provence
Our pickBrousse is an unripened cheese with a faint lactic note and little weight to it. A Cassis blanc raised in steel adds lift rather than body with its citrus and wet-stone acidity, and its salty edge sets off the mild cream.
The grapes behind these winesGrenacheMarsanneCinsault
From the source
Where to buy and taste it
Fromagerie Bellon
Cheesemongers in Aubagne since 1900, when Louis Bellon came from Ristolas in the Queyras; Charles-Henri Bellon, the fourth generation, runs the shop on rue Rastègue. Cheeses from every region, brousses du Rove, cachaille.
La Fromagerie d'Auriol
Cheese shop run by Laurent and François, with more than fifty cheeses from small producers in France and Europe, from a local farm goat's cheese to truffle cheese, plus charcuterie, wine and preserves.
Cheese experiences nearby
Fête du Fromage de Banon
Annual cheese festival: the village goes pedestrian for a producers' market of cheese, bread, wine and honey, with Banon folding and cheese-making demonstrations and a public judging for the Banon d'Or. The 32nd edition, on Sunday 17 May 2026, had Corsica as guest.
Fête de la chèvre, Rognes
Goat festival with about 20 stands of goat farmers and producers, animals, food and drink on site and free activities for all ages, held whatever the weather. The 30th edition was held on Sunday 12 April 2026.
Milking workshop and farm breakfast, Fan de Chèvre
Join the farmer for the morning milking of the goats, then share a farm breakfast made from the dairy's own products. Suitable for children, with a limit of ten people. Booked through the Cassis tourist office, where reviews are dated September 2026.
Goat farm visit and tasting at Fan de Chèvre
Guided visit of an artisan goat farm in Cassis: meet the animals, learn how the cheeses are made, then taste farm products. A glass of wine can be added, and the shop sells the cheeses.
Brousse du Rove: questions
How is Brousse du Rove eaten?
Traditionally it is served in its cone, plain or with a coulis or other accompaniment, according to French Wikipedia, which also quotes Jean Froc: it is still eaten sweetened with orange flower water, or used as the base of an egg cake.
Is Brousse du Rove a whey cheese?
No. French Wikipedia says the AOC and AOP version is made from whole milk of the Rove goat, not from whey, so unlike other brousses it counts as a cheese rather than a recuite.
Does a cheese reference suggest a wine?
Androuet's page for the cheese lists rosé de Provence under "Vins associés", without further comment.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Provence
Plan the trip
Visit Brousse du Rove country
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
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Sources: protection register, www.inao.gouv.fr, en.wikipedia.org. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.