Dairy
Beaufort
Beaufort is a cooked, pressed alpine cow’s-milk cheese from the Savoie and Haute-Savoie high pastures of the French Alps, distinguished by a concave “belted” wheel shape from wooden hoops and a dense, smooth paste rich in fat. Summer mountain (chalet d’alpage) wheels taste especially floral and complex; winter valley production is milder but still full and savoury. It melts superbly for fondue savoyarde and is shaved or sliced as a premium table cheese. PDO rules require local breeds (Tarine, Abondance, and limited Montbéliarde), raw milk, and defined alpine zones, placing Beaufort among the great French mountain cheeses.
Also known as: Beaufort AOP, Beaufort d'Alpage
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Characteristics
Preparations
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Grading systems
Grades are placed along a shared scale so systems can be compared side by side.
History
Alpine herders in the Beaufortain massif made large hard cheeses for winter stores and valley trade.
Beaufort-style wheels with wooden-hoop shaping became identified with Savoie mountain dairying.
Improved alpage cooperatives and road access expanded Beaufort sales beyond local valleys.
AOC protection fixed geography, breeds, and traditional cooked-curd methods for Beaufort.
EU PDO status confirmed Beaufort’s alpine identity, including seasonal alpage designations.
Demand for Beaufort d’été and d’alpage grew among chefs and specialty affineurs for floral mountain character.