Beaufort AOP

Beaufort is the great alpine-pasture cheese of the Northern Alps. A huge wheel of 20 to 70 kg, recognisable by its concave heel, a firm, dense yellow paste with a strong taste of hazelnut and mountain flowers. Nicknamed the “prince of gruyères,” it is made in Savoie, outside Haute-Savoie. We feature it here because it is everywhere on the department’s tables and in its recipes, starting with fondue. It has held an AOC since 1968 and an AOP since 1996.

A cheese of Savoie, not Haute-Savoie

Let’s be precise about geography: Beaufort is made in the high valleys of neighbouring Savoie, the Beaufortain, the Tarentaise, the Maurienne and part of the Val d’Arly. So it is not a Haute-Savoie cheese in the strict sense, unlike reblochon or abondance. But it belongs to the same alpine family, it travels across the whole massif, and it goes into the cooking of Haute-Savoie. On that basis, it has its place next to the department’s cheeses of Savoie.

Raw milk, cooked paste, large wheel

Beaufort is a pressed, cooked paste, from raw whole milk of the Tarine and Abondance breeds. The milk is heated then pressed firmly in a wooden ring, the “beaufort ring,” which gives the concave heel. This cooking and pressing produce a dense paste that keeps for a long time, perfect for getting through the winter. Ageing takes place in a cool cellar, over several months, on spruce boards.

Beaufort chalet d’alpage, the rarest

The most sought-after version is the “chalet d’alpage” Beaufort. It is made in summer, from June to October, above 1,500 metres, directly in a mountain chalet, twice a day with the warm milk of a single herd. This traditional production, tied to transhumance, gives a cheese that carries the taste of the pasture’s flowers. It is the most characterful Beaufort, to look for from producers and good cheesemongers.

Tasting and cooking it

Beaufort is eaten as it is, at room temperature, where its power comes through. In cooking, it melts well and brings richness and length: it is one of the base cheeses of Savoyard fondue, often paired with abondance and emmental. For wine, it calls for a dry, full white, for example a Roussette de Savoie: see Savoie wines. You find it in every dairy and cheese shop in the region, including Haute-Savoie, for example around Annecy and in the Mont-Blanc area.