Cheeses of Thônes and the Aravis
The market town of the Aravis valleys, home of Reblochon, the soft cheese of the second milking.
Made, aged and sold here
Best time: June to September, or winter for tartiflette weather.
Thônes is a mountain town in the Aravis valleys east of Annecy, and the main market for Reblochon. The cheese's name is said to come from re-blocher, to squeeze a cow's udder a second time: farmers once held back some milk when the landlord's milk was measured, then milked again for their own cheese. Reblochon is now a protected name made in Haute-Savoie and part of Savoie.
Reblochon
Reblochon is a small, soft, washed-rind cheese made from raw cow's milk straight after milking, while it is still warm. The curd is pressed in a mould, salted and turned, then laid on spruce boards to ripen for a few weeks. The rind is pale orange with a fine white bloom, and the inside is supple and nutty. Melted with potatoes, onions and bacon, it makes tartiflette.
The Aravis
The Aravis range rises above Thônes, La Clusaz and Le Grand-Bornand, with farms whose cows are Abondance, Montbéliarde and Tarine. Farm Reblochon carries a green label, dairy Reblochon a red one. The valleys also make Chevrotin, a goat's milk cousin. Summer brings hay making and pastures, and winter brings skiing.
A trail idea for Thônes and the Aravis
- Thônes The market town and its cheese shops.
- Le Grand-Bornand A mountain village with a market and farms nearby.
- A Reblochon farm See cheese made after milking, where visits are offered.
- Col des Aravis A pass with views of Mont Blanc.
Written by the EveryCheese desk with AI assistance. Background: "Thônes" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets, caves and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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