Cheese · IGP · Languedoc
A soft, bloomy rind sheep's milk cheese from Semi-mountainous plateaux of the south-west Massif Central: most of Aveyron and parts of Lozère, Tarn, Hérault and Gard (INAO); the Hérault tourist board calls it a cheese of the Millau area.
A small soft sheep's milk cheese of about 150 g, with a fine, slightly felted bloomy rind and a melting, creamy paste. It is made from whole Lacaune ewes' milk, raw or heat-treated, and began as a farm cheese for the end of lactation, when farmers stopped delivering milk to the Roquefort dairies and those dairies handed out their leftover rennet, according to INAO. It was recognised as a Protected Geographical Indication on 26 May 2025. Its area takes in a strip of northern Hérault (Le Caylar, Lunas and Avène among the listed communes), though most of it lies in Aveyron.
Made in: Semi-mountainous plateaux of the south-west Massif Central: most of Aveyron and parts of Lozère, Tarn, Hérault and Gard (INAO); the Hérault tourist board calls it a cheese of the Millau area
INAO describes milky aromas with notes of sheep's wool and fresh, sweet flavours, under a fine, slightly felted rind that hides a melting, creamy paste.
Rind: white bloomy rind
Wine and cheese
INAO describes Pérail as milky, with notes of sheep's wool, under a slightly felted rind over a creamy paste. A Limoux white, fermented or raised in oak in the cool upper Aude, has the roundness to match that creaminess and the acidity to lift it.
Pérail is milky and sweet, with a melting, creamy paste under a felted rind. A southern white blend fermented or raised wholly or partly in barrel has the roundness to match the paste, and a saline, mineral finish that keeps each bite fresh.
Blanquette de Limoux is built mostly on Mauzac and made sparkling in bottle. It is dry and sharp, with green apple and lemon zest, and its fine bubbles and acidity refresh the palate between bites of mild, creamy Pérail.
The grapes behind these winesChardonnayRoussanneGrenache BlancMauzacBourboulencChenin Blanc
From the source
Montpellier cheese shop founded by Cécile and Nina in the Saint-Denis quarter, ageing cheeses in cave and selling around 160 cheeses from cow, goat and sheep, with wines, groceries, made-to-order platters and cheese-and-wine tastings.
Halles de Narbonne stall under the line 'Aveyronnais pur beurre', on the former Gandolf counter and now held by Alain Sigaud, who advises by taste, menu or mood. It also lists delivery.
Halles de Narbonne stall that carries on the Crèmerie Lainé tradition, with Corine and Noémie behind the counter. It sells regional farmhouse and appellation cheeses, suggests matching them with fine honeys, country jams and the region's wines, and takes orders for party and aperitif boards.
Halles de Narbonne cheese stall held since 2001 by Frédéric Oulès, a Narbonne native and former caterer and restaurateur. The Halles' history page traces the stall back to 1895, through the Rouquet and Belzon families.
Hour-long guided tour of the working Roquefort Société caves in Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, Aveyron, beyond the Languedoc vineyards, ending with a tasting of the house's four Roquefort AOP cheeses. Two people minimum, daily; ripening cheeses are in the caves only from January to June.
Afternoon visit of a Pélardon goat farm near Faugères: the milking parlour, the bucks and the kids, with milking to watch, then tasting and buying at the farm shop. Open daily from mid-February to the end of October; the tourist board lists 13 February to 24 October 2026.
A longer guided visit of the Roquefort Société caves in Aveyron, beyond the Languedoc vineyards, with the four Roquefort AOP cheeses tasted alongside sweet flavour pairings and wine. The company lists it for April to August, with limited places and online booking only.
A two-hour visit of the Roquefort Société caves in Aveyron, beyond the Languedoc vineyards, led by the house's master affineur, ending with the four Roquefort AOP cheeses tasted with sweet flavour pairings and wine. The company calls it a July and August visit, one slot a day on one or two days a week, yet its ticket page lists sessions on 20 and 22 October 2026.
Free visit of the Gabriel Coulet caves in Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, Aveyron, beyond the Languedoc vineyards, open to walk in without booking all year except 1 January and 25 December. It ends with a free tasting of the house's sheep cheeses; the caves stay at 10 to 12 °C, so bring a layer.
Covered Baltard-style market that opened on 1 January 1901, with 66 traders on the Halles' site, four of them cheese stalls. A regional tourism page calls Sunday morning, and the hour before noon for the local aperitif, especially lively; the Halles also run themed evening 'nocturnes' through the year.
Yes, it has been a Protected Geographical Indication since 26 May 2025, according to INAO.
The IGP specification allows two round, flat formats, both 15 to 22 mm high: 78 to 88 mm across and at least 90 g, or 90 to 110 mm across and at least 130 g. French Wikipedia gives about 150 g.
Same cheeseboard
Plan the trip
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
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Sources: protection register, www.inao.gouv.fr, fr.wikipedia.org. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.
