Cheeses of Beaufort
A Savoie mountain village that gives its name to Beaufort, the concave-sided Alpine wheel called the prince of Gruyères.
Made, aged and sold here
Best time: June to September, for alpages and summer cheese.
Beaufort is a village in the Beaufortain, a valley of the Savoie Alps between Albertville and Mont Blanc. Its cheese, Beaufort, is a large Alpine wheel made from raw milk of Tarentaise and Abondance cows. It is recognised by its concave sides, shaped by a beechwood hoop, and by its pale, smooth paste with a flavour of mountain flowers and butter.
Beaufort cheese
Beaufort is made twice a day from fresh milk, the curd cooked, pressed in a hoop and salted in brine. It ages for at least five months. Beaufort d'été is made in summer, and Beaufort chalet d'alpage is made in mountain chalets above the tree line from a single herd's milk. The village co-operative dairy shows visitors how the wheels are made and aged.
The Beaufortain
The valley climbs from Beaufort to the Lac de Roselend and the Cormet de Roselend pass, used by road cyclists. Summer pastures, alpages, cover the slopes above, and herds move up in June and down in September. Wooden chalets, chapels and old farm buildings dot the valley. In winter, the Beaufortain has quiet ski resorts.
A trail idea for Beaufort
- Beaufort co-operative See wheels made and stacked in the cellars where visits are offered.
- Lac de Roselend The mountain lake and dam above the village.
- Cormet de Roselend The high pass through summer pastures.
- An alpage chalet Buy chalet d'alpage cheese from a summer dairy, where sold.
Written by the EveryCheese desk with AI assistance. Background: "Beaufort, Savoie" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets, caves and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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