The local cheeses of Provence with the local wines that suit them, and why they work.
The cheeses of Provence 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.
Banon's creamy paste under a cream-yellow rind is tangy, with a woody leaf note. A Cassis blanc raised in steel, with citrus, almond and high acidity, cuts the richness. INAO suggests a white from the cheese's own hills.
Bottles to try:
A Palette blanc, mostly Clairette raised a year on its lees in old foudres, is full-bodied and waxy with fennel and salted-nut notes, enough weight for Banon's woody, creamy paste without sharp acidity.
Bottles to try:
The sommelier quoted on French Wikipedia, Emmanuel Delmas, says goat's cheese suits a fresh, expressive white with long acidity. Cassis blanc has it: high acidity, citrus and almond against the tomme's walnut, spice and creamy paste.
Bottles to try:
Fresh brousse is tender, creamy and mild, so a light rosé is enough. A pale, light-bodied Provence rosé made in steel, with citrus and red fruit over high acidity, refreshes it. Androuet lists rosé de Provence for this cheese.
Bottles to try:
Poivre d'âne is sweet and fragrant, with a fine, tight paste and a coat of dried herbs. A pale, light-bodied rosé with citrus and red fruit refreshes without covering the winter savory. Androuet lists rosé de Provence for it.
Bottles to try:
A Bandol rosé, led by Mourvèdre, has a savoury edge of herbs or white pepper that echoes the cheese's dried-herb coat, and its high acidity and medium body suit the fine, tight paste better than a lighter rosé.
Bottles to try:
Banon is creamy and unctuous under its chestnut leaves, with more weight than a fresh goat's cheese. A Côtes de Provence rosé partly fermented in old oak gains body and texture, and its high acidity keeps the tangy paste lively.
Bottles to try:
Poivre d'âne is sweet and fragrant under its coat of winter savory. A medium-bodied Bellet red, led by Folle Noire and raised in old oak, brings plum, iron and a salty note that sit with the herbs without the weight of a Bandol.
Bottles to try:
A medium-bodied Provence rosé, fermented mostly in steel, has red currant, citrus and high acidity. The acidity meets the tomme's touch of tang, and the body leaves the creamy paste and its walnut and spice notes alone.
Bottles to try:
Androuet quotes Larousse saying Camargue ewe's fresh cheeses are seasoned with thyme and bay. An Alpilles white raised in old oak, concrete or steel brings fennel, dried apricot and a saline edge that echo the herbs and freshen the paste.
Bottles to try:
Brousse is a tender, mild fresh cheese with a faint lactic note. A direct-press Cassis rosé, built on Grenache and Cinsault, medium-bodied with high acidity and a salty finish, lifts the cream without weight.
Bottles to try:
Tomme de Provence is creamy, with walnut and spice and a touch of acidity. A Provence white with part of the wine raised in old oak gains texture without vanilla, and its saline finish and fennel or almond notes sit beside the walnut.
Bottles to try:
Brousse is an unripened cheese with a faint lactic note and little weight to it. A Cassis blanc raised in steel adds lift rather than body with its citrus and wet-stone acidity, and its salty edge sets off the mild cream.
Bottles to try:
Tomme d'Arles is a fresh sheep's cheese, melting and delicate. A pale rosé from Les Baux or the Coteaux d'Aix, with pink grapefruit and watermelon over high acidity, refreshes without hiding the sheep's milk. Androuet lists Provence rosé among its wines.
Bottles to try:
Tomme de Provence is medium in strength, with walnut and spice and a touch of acidity. A medium-bodied Provence red raised mainly in concrete, with plum, wild herbs and moderate tannin, picks up the spice without weighing on the creamy paste.
Bottles to try:
Bellet blanc is Rolle-led, with lemon, almond paste and a saline edge, light enough not to swamp Banon's soft paste while its acidity lifts the cream. INAO advises a white with this cheese.
Bottles to try:
Cachat is a salty, peppery, garlicky paste with a long finish, so it needs acidity more than tannin. A Bandol rosé has high acidity, a savoury, saline finish and low tannin, so nothing turns bitter against the cheese.
Bottles to try:
Discover Aix en Provence, admire the famous Place de la Rotonde, visit the old historic center and take time for lunch in a local restaurant. Then stop at a vineyard t...
There are many food tours in Aix with a huge choice of boutiques..but also many people, noise, rush... If you prefer to get out of the city, live a peaceful, local exp...
Let me share my Provence with you: explore Sainte-Victoire vineyards, taste exceptional rosé wines, enjoy a gourmet picnic prepared by me and experience authentic mome...
Brown chestnut leaves tied with a strand of natural raffia. INAO says the cheese ripens in them so that chestnut tannins migrate into the paste. The Fromagerie de Banon says it gathers its leaves from early November, dries them until mid-January and moistens them again before wrapping.
INAO suggests fig jam and a glass of white wine from the cheese's own terroir, such as Coteaux de Pierrevert, Côtes du Rhône, Ventoux or Luberon.
INAO's specification gives 75 to 85 mm across with its leaves, 20 to 30 mm high and 90 to 110 g without them. Androuet describes a slightly domed disc 7 cm across and 2.5 cm thick, about 110 g; French Wikipedia says 6 to 7 cm in its summary and 8 cm by 2 to 3 cm for about 100 g elsewhere.
INAO says at least 15 days of ripening are needed before it can be eaten, with the final stretch spent under the chestnut leaves.
Traditionally it is served in its cone, plain or with a coulis or other accompaniment, according to French Wikipedia, which also quotes Jean Froc: it is still eaten sweetened with orange flower water, or used as the base of an egg cake.
No. French Wikipedia says the AOC and AOP version is made from whole milk of the Rove goat, not from whey, so unlike other brousses it counts as a cheese rather than a recuite.
Androuet's page for the cheese lists rosé de Provence under "Vins associés", without further comment.
No. French Wikipedia says producers want to protect it with an AOC or IGP, but it has no protected name at the moment.
