La Haute Piltière
Goat farm at Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine selling its Sainte-Maure AOP, faisselle and goat yogurt in the farm shop, with guided tours of the dairy arranged on request.
About Sainte-Maure de Touraine
A raw goat's milk log, truncated so that one end is wider (about 5.5 cm across) than the other (about 4.5 cm), and roughly 16 to 18 cm long. A rye straw runs through it from end to end, engraved with the appellation and the maker's number. It once held the soft log together and is now the mark of an authentic cheese. The rind ripens to a pleated, ash-grey to bluish down. It has been an AOC since 1990 and an AOP since 1996, and the consortium names it the best-selling French goat cheese of 2019.
Made in: Touraine and neighbouring areas of Centre-Val de Loire and Nouvelle-Aquitaine
On the plate
Smooth, melting paste with a tangy, hazelnut flavour when young. Aged, it turns dry and crumbly and the flavour grows more pronounced, according to the producers' consortium.
Rind: dusted with ash
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Sainte-Maure de Touraine
Chinon (Cabernet Franc), medium-bodied, no new oak Loire Valley
Our pickThe consortium lists Chinon among the red Loire wines for this cheese. A medium-bodied Chinon raised in tank or old wood keeps Cabernet Franc's fresh fruit and high acidity, which sit well against the tangy, hazelnut paste of a young log.
Bourgueil or Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil (Cabernet Franc), medium-bodied, no new oak Loire Valley
Our pickThe consortium names Bourgueil among the red Loire wines it suggests. A medium-bodied Bourgueil raised in tank or old wood, with no new oak, keeps its berry fruit and freshness, which match the creamy paste and tang of the log.
Dry Touraine Chenin (Vouvray, Montlouis, Chinon blanc) Loire Valley
Our pickThe consortium suggests a Chenin or Sauvignon from Touraine for this cheese. A dry Touraine Chenin, raised in tank or older oak, has the high acidity and citrus or orchard fruit to cut through a creamy, tangy log.
The grapes behind these winesCabernet FrancChenin Blanc
From the source
Where to buy and taste it
Les Fromages d'Angel
Family goat farm of about 320 goats near Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine, making Sainte-Maure AOP, cœur, crottins and pyramids. Visitors can tour the dairy, see the cheesemaking and taste.
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.
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.
Sainte-Maure de Touraine: questions
What is the straw in Sainte-Maure de Touraine for?
It once held the soft log together; today the consortium calls it a guarantee of authenticity and quality, and it is engraved with the appellation name and the maker's number. Wikipedia describes it as rye straw.
How do you cut a Sainte-Maure de Touraine?
The consortium advises cutting the first slice from the widest end and easing out the straw gently.
Which wine goes with Sainte-Maure de Touraine?
The AOP consortium suggests red Loire wines such as Chinon, Bourgueil, Gamay or Cabernet de Touraine, or a dry white such as Sauvignon or Chenin from Touraine.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Loire Valley
Plan the trip
Visit Sainte-Maure de Touraine 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.