Savoie
The Savoie region does not offer its farmers the option of taking their milk back down the mountain on a daily basis to be transformed into cheese at the local fruitières. The mountains here are simply too steep by far. In fact, many areas are not inhabitable, being suited only to sustaining grazing cattle. In the Savoie farmers, move up into the mountains with great procession and festivity in the Spring, not to return until the late summer months. Cheese here is made exactly where the cows are milked, in small, stone mountain-top chalets. And it is in these chalets that the cheese will be matured for many months to come.