What it's like trying goat cheese on tour
Laura meets some friendly alpacas on a goat cheese tasting in the Dordogne Valley.
From mozzarella and feta to gouda, Brie and swiss, cheese has always been one of my favorite foods. Strangely enough, in all my years of eating cheese, I haven’t tried very many made from goat’s milk. So today’s tasting was something I’d been looking forward to since the beginning of the tour.
After a scenic drive through even more stunning countryside, we arrived at La Ferme des Monteyx, a small hillside farm nestled in the heart of the Dordogne Valley. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a few of the more inquisitive members of the resident herd of alpacas who followed us as we walked down the drive to the farm house. We also had a chance to meet the goats before settling into our tasting—they were quite the characters!
Known for its signature tartness, goat cheese, or chèvre, is best enjoyed with fruity white wines. I opted to eat mine paired with a rosé instead, which I thought tasted great. The varieties that we tried today were soft and served to us at room temperature, a practice typical of the region. The more creamy of these we ate with thin slices of baguette. A few had rinds which were reminiscent of Brie, and these we ate using toothpicks. Others had a type of jam or preserves on top, which was a nice complement to the distinct flavor of the cheese.
To me though, the most important detail was that they were all delicious!
Have you ever gone on a cheese tasting? Learn more about our Food & Wine tours to have your very own experience trying goat cheese on tour.
