Traditional Savoyard dinner at mountain chalet

How to Complete

4 steps curated by Wine Memories

1. 📜 1

   Hear the Tax Fraud Story That Created Reblochon

   history Free

   The cheese exists because of 14th-century cheating.

   Before eating, ask your host about 're-blocher' (to pinch the udder again). In the 14th century, farmers were taxed based on milk yield, so they didn't fully milk cows until after the landowner measured. The second, richer milking made superior cheese - born from fraud, now AOP-protected since 1958. Look for the green casein label on the rind (farmhouse) vs red (cooperative). Request farmhouse Reblochon - it's the original contraband version.

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2. 🍷 2

   Taste the 1980s Marketing Genius

   wine $$

   Tartiflette isn't ancient tradition - it's brilliant cheese marketing.

   Order both tartiflette AND croziflette side-by-side. Here's the secret: tartiflette was invented in the 1980s by Le Syndicat Interprofessionnel du Reblochon to boost winter cheese sales. A La Clusaz restaurant renamed the older 'péla' dish. Croziflette uses buckwheat crozets pasta instead of potatoes - ask which your server prefers. Pair with a local Apremont or Roussette de Savoie. Budget €25-35 per person at Restaurant La Ferme (book 2 weeks ahead at lesfermiers.com).

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3. ⛰️ 3

   Watch Reblochon Being Made (Winter or Summer)

   Optional

   adventure $

   50 Abondance cows, twice-daily cheese production.

   Visit La Ferme des Corbassières on Plateau Beauregard (Donzel family since 1980). Winter: drive to Les Confins, 98 chemin du Var. Summer: take Beauregard cable car + 15 min walk. Farm visit €5, snack €15, full meal €30. They make Reblochon twice daily from 50 Abondance breed cows. Ask to see the 'coulage' (molding). The summer alpine pasture barn has terrace dining - reserve in advance at laclusaz.com. If Les Corbassières is full, ask tourist office for other Reblochon farms.

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4. ⛰️ 4

   Arrive by Sleigh for the Full Fairy Tale

   Optional

   adventure $$$

   Horse-drawn sleigh to a candlelit mountain dinner.

   Book the winter sleigh dinner through La Clusaz tourist office (laclusaz.com). Departures from Plateau des Confins. Thursday evenings in December-February, 90-120 minutes, food from Restaurant Le Chalet des Joux. Dress in ski gear - blankets provided but temperatures drop fast after sunset. The sleigh route passes working farms with lights in windows. If sleighs are booked, dog sledding is available at the same departure point. Reserve at least 1 week ahead during school holidays.

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Insider Tips

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  The homemade reblochon is incomparable to supermarket versions

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  Ask about the "croziflette" - a local variation with buckwheat pasta

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  Arrive by sleigh in winter for the full alpine fairy tale experience