Ferme de la Fringale
Goat farm at Veuil making Valençay and Selles-sur-Cher AOP from about 150 dairy goats. Guided visits explain the herd and the dairy, with cheese and wine tastings.
About Valençay
A raw goat's milk cheese in the shape of a truncated pyramid with a square base, about 7 to 8 cm high and 6 to 7 cm along the base, weighing 220 g (110 g for the Petit Valençay). It is coated in ash, and by about day 11 of ripening the rind turns into a bloomy coat between light grey and blue-grey. It has been an AOC since 1998 and an AOP since 2014. A legend repeated by the consortium says Talleyrand cut the points off before giving the cheeses to Napoleon, so the shape would not recall his defeat in Egypt.
Made in: The Berry country of Indre and neighbouring departments (Cher, Indre-et-Loire, Loir-et-Cher), 228 communes
On the plate
Creamy and melting when young. With age the paste firms up and the aromas move from fresh nuts to dried fruit. The consortium suggests eating the rind to strengthen the forest-floor and hazelnut notes.
Rind: dusted with ash
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Valençay
Pouilly-Fumé Loire Valley
Our pickValençay's ash coat and creamy young paste want a sharp, dry white. Pouilly-Fumé, Sauvignon Blanc from flint and limestone, brings high acidity and citrus that cut the cream. The consortium itself names Valençay AOC wine.
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine (Melon de Bourgogne) Loire Valley
Our pickYoung Valençay is creamy and melting under its ash coat. A Muscadet aged on its lees in glass-lined vats, with no oak, brings brisk acidity and a saline edge that cut the paste and leave its fresh nuts clear.
The grapes behind these winesMelon de BourgogneSauvignon Blanc
From the source
Where to buy and taste it
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.
Valençay: questions
Why is Valençay shaped like a pyramid with the top cut off?
A legend, repeated by the AOP consortium, says Talleyrand sliced the points off the pyramids before presenting them to Napoleon so they would not recall his Egyptian defeat; Wikipedia adds a variant in which Napoleon struck it with his sabre.
How long is Valençay aged?
At least 11 days before it can be sold as AOP, according to the consortium and Wikipedia.
How big is a Valençay?
About 7 to 8 cm high and 6 to 7 cm along the base, weighing around 220 g; the Petit Valençay weighs 110 g (AOP consortium).
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Loire Valley
Plan the trip
Visit Valençay 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
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Sources: protection register, aopchevrecentre.fr, fr.wikipedia.org. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.