The local cheeses of Loire Valley with the local wines that suit them, and why they work.
The cheeses of Loire Valley with the wines made beside them. Pairings marked as a local tradition are the ones a regional source names; the rest are our own picks, and say so.
Young crottin has a firm, chalky paste and aged ones turn nutty and dry. White Sancerre's sharp Sauvignon acidity and citrus cut that density and freshen the hazelnut. The consortium lists it first; a pairing guide calls it the classic white.
Bottles to try:
The 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.
Bottles to try:
The 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.
Bottles to try:
Pouilly-Fumé is a dry Sauvignon Blanc from flint and limestone across the river from Sancerre, and its high acidity and citrus lift the nutty notes of a half-dry crottin. The consortium names it among the wines the cheese likes, after white Sancerre and Menetou-Salon.
Bottles to try:
The 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.
Bottles to try:
The 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.
Bottles to try:
Pinot Noir from Sancerre or neighbouring Menetou-Salon is medium-bodied with high acidity. Its red-cherry or redcurrant fruit sits against the firm, chalky paste of a young or half-aged crottin without overpowering it.
Bottles to try:
The consortium points to a Chenin from Touraine for Selles-sur-Cher. Montlouis, across the river from Vouvray, makes dry Chenin with enough acidity to balance the salty, slightly bitter ash rind and the sweet, hazelnut paste.
Bottles to try:
Valençay'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.
Bottles to try:
The 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.
Bottles to try:
Menetou-Salon's Sauvignon has the same crisp acidity and citrus as Sancerre, enough to stand up to the blue-tinged rind and earthy edge of a ripening crottin. The consortium lists it among the wines the cheese likes.
Bottles to try:
A fully aged crottin turns dry, crumbly and strongly nutty. A sweet Loire Chenin, made from late-picked or nobly rotten grapes, sets honeyed richness and its own high acidity against that concentration and salt.
Bottles to try:
Young 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.
Bottles to try:
Selles-sur-Cher balances salt, acid and bitter under its ash rind. A medium-bodied Cabernet Franc from Saumur-Champigny or Anjou, raised in tank or old oak with no new wood, offers bright fruit that does not turn bitter against that salt.
Bottles to try:
Olivet is a mild, milky bloomy disc with hay or mushroom notes. Fine bubbles and brisk acidity in a dry, traditional-method Loire sparkling wine clean the palate between slices without covering them.
Bottles to try:
Olivet is mild and milky with hay or mushroom notes. A dry sparkling Vouvray, light-bodied with high acidity and a fine bead, clears the soft paste between bites, and its mineral finish keeps the delicate flavour in view.
Bottles to try:
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The AOP consortium says it marries wonderfully with a white Sancerre, and that it also likes Menetou-Salon, Pouilly-Fumé, Quincy or Reuilly.
60 to 90 g per cheese, according to the AOP consortium.
In the departments of Cher, Nièvre and Loiret, according to the AOP consortium.
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.
At least 11 days before it can be sold as AOP, according to the consortium and Wikipedia.
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).
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.
The consortium advises cutting the first slice from the widest end and easing out the straw gently.
