Roquefort : A major cheese of truly international reputation

Blue-veined cheese. Origin: southern Massif Central (Aveyron, but also Lozère and Tarn)

A major cheese of truly international repute, Roquefort is produced solely from whole, raw ewe's milk in the Aveyron in the southwest of the Massif Central mountains. This cheese earned France's very first Denomination of Origin (AO) in 1925. It contains at least 52% fat and is sold aluminium-wrapped under the label "Roquefort", accompanied by its "AOC" and the "Brebis Rouge" (red ewe) shared trademark.

The cheese is creamy and soft, yet firm, with a fine, sharp taste and a most remarkable bouquet that hints at mould. It is ripened and matured with particular care in Roquefort's famous caves. Roquefort must always be isolated from the ambient air, either by its original packaging or by aluminium foil, to avoid drying and to conserve its creamy, mellow texture. It can be kept in the bottom of the refrigerator if you don't have a cool, damp cellar. Like a fine wine, Roquefort is best brought to room temperature for an hour or so before tasting.

Roquefort is widely employed in culinary recipes: in canapés, salads and soufflés, with puff-pastry, etc... Another particularity is that it goes very well with sweet, mellow wines such as Sauterne and Jurançon, and with natural sweet wines such as Maury, Rivesaltes and Port.