The PDO of Sud Val de Loire

They are inseparable, humble and so-well loved: whether it’s the Selles-sur-Cher, Valençay or Sainte-Maure de Touraine PDO our goat’s cheeses reveal all their complexity accompanied by a glass of wine.

Producteurs et dégustation en Sud Val de Loire

AOP and AOC, a guarantee of expertise and quality

The Appellation d’Origine Protégée (PDO in English) designates a product in which all stages of production are carried out according to recognised expertise in the same geographical area, which gives its characteristics to the product. PDO is a European label that protects the name of the product throughout the European Union.

Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOP) (PDO in English) designates products that meet the AOP criteria and protects the name in France. It is a sub-section of PDO, now a European label. It can also relate to products not covered by European regulations (such as forest products for example).

It is the notion of terroir that is behind the idea of Appellations d’Origine.

Some figures:

Among the 50 dairy products, which are mainly cheeses, Sud Val de Loire has 3 PDOs in its region: Selles-sur-Cher, Valençay and Sainte-Maure de Touraine.

All three are made using goat’s milk. They are appreciated worldwide and are part of French gastronomy.

SELLES-SUR-CHER CHEESE

Selles-sur-Cher is a cheese made from whole, unpasteurised goat’s milk. It is formed into a disc shape with bevelled edges, like a slightly flattened cone.

Originally made on farms, Selles-sur-Cher is also produced in dairies but its production has remained traditional and artisan.

All the production and maturation sites must be located in the geographic area defined by the PDO.

Each manufacturing site has a typical Selles-sur-Cher, because each producer, cheese maker or refiner has a characteristic expertise which creates a unique cheese meeting the criteria defined by the PDO.

VALENCAY CHEESE

Valençay cheese is made from whole, unpasteurised goat’s milk, in the shape of a truncated pyramid. It is covered with vegetable ash and then matured. This gives it its light bluish/grey colour. It is ready to be eaten after 11 days.

The recognised production area covers 4 departments: almost all of the Indre department, and a limited number of towns and villages in the surrounding departments: Cher, Loir-et-Cher and Indre-et-Loire.