Farms, dairies, cooperatives and affineurs in Champagne that you can visit or buy from.
A guide to cheese farms in Champagne.
Dairy at Chaource that calls itself the last artisanal dairy in the Aube. Chaource AOP is hand-ladled on weekdays; the shop sells it with regional cheeses and wines.
Cheeses: Chaource, Mussy, Musséen, Lys de Champagne-Ardenne, Délice de Mussy
Visiting: shop with regional cheeses and a selection of wines, free viewing gallery and production video (no production at weekends), guided visit with tasting for groups of 20 or more, booked ahead
Dairy at Vaux-sous-Aubigny, Haute-Marne, making Langres and Époisses; Chaource AOP is also in its range. A shop, a self-guided production corridor on Friday and Saturday mornings by reservation, and a cheese bar to confirm before visiting.
Cheeses: Langres, Époisses, Chaource
Visiting: shop, self-guided production corridor (Fridays and Saturdays 11:00 to 12:15, reservation required), guided group visit for 20 or more, cheese bar tastings by reservation (the tourism listing shows the bar as temporarily closed; check before booking)
Family dairy at Saulxures, Haute-Marne, in Langres cheese country, making Langres AOP including Le Champenois aged in champagne marc. The shop also sells Morbier, Comté and cancoillotte.
Cheeses: Langres, Langres Le Champenois (aged in champagne marc)
Visiting: shop with direct sales, group visits arranged by phone
Farm dairy at Genevrières, Haute-Marne, making raw-milk Langres AOP from its own cows' milk; Maison Moga calls it the last producer. Click and collect only, the shop is closed to the public.
Cheeses: Langres
Visiting: click and collect order pickup at the dairy (the shop is closed to the public), tastings (listed by the tourism office, details unpublished)
Visitor centre at Illoud, Haute-Marne, on the site where Caprice des Dieux was created in 1956. Museum with scent-based and interactive displays, a shop and seminar rooms; a visit takes about two hours.
Cheeses: Caprice des Dieux
Visiting: museum on Caprice des Dieux (interactive), shop with Caprice des Dieux and 150 other references of cheeses, chocolates and charcuterie, guided tour on request, about 2 hours
during this discovery of Blanc de Noirs champagnes that pair perfectly with cheeses from our regions and other areas. Join us just a stone's throw from Notre-Dame de R...
Embark on a shared or private group tour to discover the Champagne region and enjoy an authentic French lunch. Visit a world-famous champagne house and a family-owned ...
Embark on a alll inclusive day trip from Paris to the Champagne region. Visit the birthplace of champagne in 3 different houses, Reims Cathedral, and enjoy a gourmet 3...
In the Aube and Yonne departments, in the Champagne Humide, a clay region on the border of the two, according to the Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité.
At least 14 days from renneting, with at least 8 days at 8 to 14 °C, per the appellation rules summarised on French Wikipedia. INAO describes the cheese at 14 days as mushroom, hazelnut and cream.
The large format weighs 450 to 700 g, made in moulds 110 to 115 mm across, and the small format 250 to 380 g in moulds 85 to 90 mm across, per French Wikipedia.
The consortium says the fontaine forms naturally because the cheese is never turned during making. Some producers ripen it with marc, and the alcohol poured into the dip spreads through the cheese.
Montbéliarde, Brune or Simmental cows, with Prim'Holstein allowed only below half the herd. Grazing must last at least six months a year, per the consortium.
The usual format weighs 280 to 300 g and measures 10 cm across and 5 to 6 cm high, per French Wikipedia.
INAO records the French appellation in 1991. Its Langres page also lists the European Commission regulations of 1996 and 1997 on the register of protected designations; the later dates sometimes quoted, 2009 (French Wikipedia) and 2012 (the consortium), are those of the revised rules and their European approval, not the first protection.
Part of its protected area lies in the Champagne departments of Marne, Aube and Haute-Marne, per INAO and the brie syndicate, but its home is Seine-et-Marne in the Île-de-France.