Alpine cheese and wine around Mont Blanc

What do you get when three countries with some of the best culinary traditions in the world converge in one area? A gastronomic region of immense proportions.

While the area around Mont Blanc spanning France, Italy, and Switzerland is known for big cheese names such as Gruyere and Fontina, there are many smaller cheesemakers that produce specific cheeses from individual valleys, and in some cases, a single village! Visiting Le Refuge Payot cheese shop in Chamonix, you’ll definitely come across new and unknown varieties unlikely to be found outside of France. Check out your country’s customs laws before bringing it back home!

While hiking in the Alps on famous routes such as the Tour du Mont Blanc or the Haute Route, you’ll find firm, alpine-style cheeses such as Beaufort, which is made from raw cow’s milk. The flavor changes depending on whether the cheese was made from spring milk or fall milk, as the grasses, flowers, and weeds the…