Food tourism, especially in Europe, has grown significantly in the last few years. Countries like France, Italy, Portugal and Spain, among others, have seen a surge in cheese, wine and olive oil tourism lately.
Travellers have certainly got a taste for cheese tourism, a niche that has become especially popular as it allows fromage fans to gain deeper insight into generations of cheesemaking traditions, terroir and history. France is one of the top destinations for cheese tourism, with travellers spoilt for choice, with around 1,200 varieties to pick from.
Now, a new French tour gives cheese lovers the opportunity to try around 100 of France’s best cheeses.
SmoothRed, a boutique wine and gastronomy travel operator, has just launched an 11-day tour, taking travellers all over France for a taste of both world-famous and regional cheeses, which can be paired with top-notch wines.
“Cheese in France isn’t just food,” said Adam Stebbings, founder of SmoothRed. “It’s all about exploring France’s distinct regions and understanding why the cheese offering of each tastes the way it does.
“Our itinerary is designed to take people beyond tasting rooms, instead offering authentic experiences. You’ll be making cheese by hand at a goat farm, watching traditional cheesemaking techniques at family operations and exploring the caves where wheels age for months.”
From Normandy to Burgundy: The best of French cheese and wine regions
The tour kicks off in Normandy, with travellers self-driving there from Paris.
Here, visitors can get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into cheesemaking techniques, by visiting renowned fromageries like Grain d’Orge. They can also try regional cheeses like Camembert, Pont-l’Évêque and Livarot.
Travellers will also visit a Calvados distillery, for more insight into Normandy’s apple brandy making.
In some cases, a visit to one of France’s most beautiful villages, Beuvron-en-Auge, may also be possible.
The next day takes you to the famous Loire Valley, where visitors can enjoy themselves in a private city walking tour through medieval streets and stunning architecture.
One of the best immersive highlights on this leg is visiting a family-run dairy and goat farm, for a hands-on cheesemaking workshop. Visitors can tuck into creamy goat cheese (chèvre) and explore the farm gardens as well.
There’ll also be a gourmet, vineyard picnic lunch, with a range of other potential regional cheeses like Crottin de Chavignol, Valençay and Fleur de Sologne, along with local wine pairings.
Wine tastings will continue on a tour of the region’s chateaux too.
Next up is another iconic cheese and wine region, Bordeaux, where travellers can enjoy local cheese varieties like Gabietou and Bleu de Termignon, along with Pyrenees specials like Chabichou and Ossau-Iraty.
There will also be a sampling of Grand Cru Classé de Graves wines at Chateau Latour-Martillac. Travellers can also stay an extra day in Bordeaux, to experience the left bank wines of the Médoc and other attractions like La Cité du Vin.
From here, travellers carry on to Burgundy, where you can visit a local dairy for five artisanal cheeses like the Brillat-Savarin Affiné, Morbier and Nuitons, paired with five local pinot noirs and chardonnays.
This is followed by a tour of Maison Joseph Drouhin wine cellars, where visitors can sip six wines and learn more about the heritage of the cellars, which once belonged to the dukes of Burgundy, canons of Beaune, and kings of France.
Enjoy dishes like raclette, fondue and boîte chaude at the Restaurant Baud et Millet, with a basement cellar of more than 100 French cheese varieties and an “all-you-can-eat” buffet option.
This epic journey ends back in Paris, where travellers will have another hands-on culinary workshop at a Parisian cheese school, complete with visits to the aging cellar and tastings.
Visitors can also explore the Musée Vivant du Fromage, an interactive museum and dairy highlighting the people and science behind France’s cheesemaking history, before heading to a luxury sunset dinner cruise to wrap up the trip.
The tour starts from £4,235 (€4,850.70) per person, which covers accommodation in a range of luxury boutique hotels and chateaux, as well as breakfast, all tastings, and select meals like picnics. Ground transport and private guided tours are also covered.
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