France Fromages
Cheese stall and ageing cellar in the Halles de Tours, run by Hans and Adeline Krischer, with a counter built around goat cheeses from Touraine and neighbouring areas.
About Pouligny-Saint-Pierre
A raw goat's milk cheese in a tall, slim, square-based truncated pyramid, about 12.5 cm high and 2.5 cm square at the top, weighing around 250 g. Unlike Valençay, Selles-sur-Cher and Sainte-Maure it is not ash-coated: the thin rind carries white and bluish surface moulds, and it is sold either ivory (en blanc) or blue-tinged (en bleu). It was the first goat cheese AOC, in 1972, and an AOP since 1996. The shape is said to echo the church steeple of the village.
Made in: The Brenne country of Indre, 22 communes
On the plate
Balanced, creamy, melting and smooth. The white version is tangy with dried-fruit flavours; the blue one is stronger and more robust. The consortium advises cutting it along its height so every slice carries the full range of aromas.
Rind: natural crust
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Pouligny-Saint-Pierre
Touraine Sauvignon Loire Valley
Our pickThe consortium recommends a dry, fruity white with Pouligny-Saint-Pierre and names Sauvignon de Touraine. The wine's citrus lifts the tang of the white version without covering its dried-fruit notes.
Dry Anjou and Saumur Chenin (Savennières, Anjou, Saumur blanc) Loire Valley
Our pickThe white Pouligny-Saint-Pierre is tangy with dried-fruit flavours. A dry Chenin from Anjou or Saumur, raised in tank, amphora or mostly older oak, has the acidity to match the tang and enough weight to stand beside the dense, creamy paste.
The grapes behind these winesChenin BlancSauvignon Blanc
From the source
Where to buy and taste it
Fromagerie du Puits Neuf
Saumur cheese shop in the Saint-Jean quarter, open since 1985 and under new ownership since 2023. It stocks nearly 140 cheeses, finishes the ageing of some in house and makes take-away platters.
Les Fromages de Camille
Cheese shop near Tours town hall, selling cheeses, dairy and fine groceries from producers that let their animals graze. It also makes platters and delivers by bike.
La Passion du Fromage
Amboise boutique of La Passion du Fromage, a group of shops mostly in Indre-et-Loire that advertises more than 300 cheeses and local products and offers click and collect.
Cheese experiences nearby
Foire aux Fromages et à la Gastronomie de Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine
Annual fair devoted to Sainte-Maure de Touraine AOP, with a market of regional food products, cheese competitions including the Chèvre d'Or, a mini-farm and entertainment. Free entry in 2026.
Halles de Tours covered market
Covered market of Tours, opened in 1980, where stalls such as the affineur France Fromages sell Touraine goat cheeses alongside bakers, butchers and wine merchants.
Tasting of five ageings of Crottin de Chavignol
A farm tasting of five ageings of Crottin de Chavignol, from fresh to dry, with either a glass of Loire wine or apple juice, at a goat farm a few kilometres from Sancerre.
Wine and cheese tasting at Dubois-Boulay, Chavignol
Wine and cheese tasting in the boutique of a Chavignol affineur: a single Crottin de Chavignol, or a cheese and charcuterie plate, in a shop that also has an ageing facility with explanations of the craft.
Guided visit of the Ferme de la Fringale
A guided visit of a goat dairy with about 150 milking goats, explaining how the herd is run and how Valençay and Selles-sur-Cher AOP are made, with cheese and wine tasting.
Visit of the Ferme des Chapotons goat farm
A visit of a working goat farm and Sancerre vineyard, free to walk round and guided on request, with the making of Crottin de Chavignol to see and a tasting in the shop.
Pouligny-Saint-Pierre: questions
Why is Pouligny-Saint-Pierre shaped like a pyramid?
The shape is said to be inspired by the steeple of the village church, according to the AOP consortium and Wikipedia.
Is Pouligny-Saint-Pierre ash-coated?
No. The consortium describes it as non cendré, unlike the ash-coated Valençay, Selles-sur-Cher and Sainte-Maure; its rind carries white or bluish surface moulds.
Which wine goes with Pouligny-Saint-Pierre?
The AOP consortium says it pairs wonderfully with a dry, fruity white such as Reuilly blanc, Sauvignon de Touraine or a Berry Sauvignon.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Loire Valley
Plan the trip
Visit Pouligny-Saint-Pierre country
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
Loire Valley
3-day Private Loire Castles Trip 2 Wine tastings by Mercedes
All 280 experiences in Loire ValleyBooking links go to our partners (GetYourGuide, Viator, Zen Hotels), who may pay us a commission. It never decides what we cover. Editorial standards.
Sources: protection register, aopchevrecentre.fr, fr.wikipedia.org. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.