Catching a Rainbow

Produced in or around any of the 22 communes of ‘le Blanc du Berry’ and at the heart of the National Park of ‘La Brenne,’ Pouligny-Saint-Pierre is the smallest cheese-producing region to have obtained an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée for its product…the Pouligny-Saint-Pierre.

The region alternatively called the "pays des mille étangs", or the land of a thousand lakes forms part of what was the old region of Berry, some 21000Km2 at the heart of France.
Divided since 1790, it now comprises three départements of France; Indre: Cher: and Vienne…the cheese is only made in the département of Indre.

The countryside undulates from one low hill to another and is covered with vast stands of trees, sprawling heath land covered in heather and interspersed with grey rocky outcrops. The soils are poor and were it for but one fact they would be of very little use…the floras.
The countryside is stippled with a myriad of scented and aromatic low trees and shrubs which are not only a perfect fodder for goats, but make a wonderfully aromatic cheese laced with a natural sweet-smelling fragrance.

The Cheese is known affectionately as the ‘Tour d’Eiffel’ as well as the less imaginative ‘Pyramid.’
There are several Pyramid shaped cheeses in France and all seem to be grouped together and given this name…there is only Pouligny- Saint-Pierre.














The Church steeple in the centre of the village inspired the shape of the cheese, or so the story goes. Whether true or not it was the first cheese in France to use this classic shape.
In the 18th Century moulds of wood or straw were used to make the cheese, which gave it its characteristic shape, and set it apart from other cheese producers at the time.
It won a gold medal in the Grand Exposition of 1900, held in Paris, which is where it got its nickname ‘The Eiffel Tower.’
In the 1960’s, two dairy companies were formed to mass-produce the cheese and in 1969 a syndicate, the ‘L'Union des Producteur du Pouligny,’ was created to defend and promote Pouligny St-Pierre as a brand. Work then began to obtain the AOC.

The annual production of the cheese is 350 tons, with an increase of 90% between 1989 and 1999. Farm production is the most important accounting for 60% of the total cheese produced.

AOC:

POULIGNY-SAINT-PIERRE received its AOC en 1972, which was later modified in 1989 and now covers two sizes of the same cheese.

1. ‘Pouligny-Saint-Pierre,’ and the smaller,
2. ‘Petit Pouligny-Saint-Pierre.’


The AOC of "Pouligny-Saint-Pierre" is reserved for goat’s cheese and covers the production of milk, delivery and ripening of the cheese, which must all be carried out within the region of production.
The milk must be certified as being free from Brucellosis and can only be produced the following areas:
1. Mauvières et Saint-Hilaire-sur-Bénaize, in the Canton of Bélâbre.
2. The commune d'Azay-le-Ferron; in the Canton de Mézières-en-Brenne.
3. And, in any of the communes of the Canton Tournon-Saint-Martin.

The smaller variety of the same cheese, "Petit-Pouligny-Saint-Pierre," is made in a smaller mould producing a cheese with the base between 30 and 70mm and a height of 85mm, but to all intents and purposes the cheese is the same.
The name "Fabrication fermière" or "fromage fermière " or any other combination suggesting the cheese is made on a farm, can only be used where the cheese is made from milk coming from that same farm. No milk can be brought in if it is to be called fermière and frozen curds must not be used in Fermière cheese.

The certificate "Appellation d'origine Contrôlée" and the name must be clearly shown on any packaging and the cheese is checked every month by a controlling body to verify that taste texture and appearance of the cheese lives up to the standards set down in French law.
There are two types of labelling and packaging; green for farm produced cheese and red for Dairy or cooperative made cheese.


Description and how it is made:

"Pouligny-Saint-Pierre" is a cheese made exclusively from un-pasteurised whole goats milk. The goats, Alpine breeds of Saanen and Poitevine produce a good quality milk ideal for this fantastic cheese.

It is made from principally a lactic fermentation although some rennet is added which must come from the fourth stomach of a goat. The curds are left for 18 hours before being placed into shaped moulds, and left for a further 24 to 36 hours. The cheese is then removed from the moulds, salted all over and allowed to ripen for a minimum of ten days.

The exterior of the cheese, which is white when young turning to deep ochre as the cheese gets older is often covered with an intense blue mould. The colour or bleutée in French varies from cheese to cheese and is in contrast to the bright white colour of the interior.

Flavour and Character:

The cheese, slightly more acidic than some, has a characteristic straw flavour with a pronounced soft goat’s milk taste.
In the mouth the acidity is soon replaced by a hint of walnut, which softens and leaves a distinctive aftertaste that comes from the plants the animals feed on.


Season:

June and October although good between March and December.



Wine Suggestions to go with Pouligny St-Pierre

Reuilly,
Quincy,
Menetou-Salon,
Sancerre
Sauvignon de Touraine