An iconic cheese of the Vercors mountains, Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage AOP is a blue cheese. Mild and creamy, it develops subtle hazelnut notes. It can be enjoyed on a cheese board or used in cooking. Discover its history, its production, and the best places to find it around Saint-Marcellin and the Vercors.

Plateau of Bleu du Vercors Sassenage AOP cheese and a herd of cows in a mountain fieldLucie Moraillon by Inspiration Vercors

In the Middle Ages, farmers on the Vercors plateau paid part of their taxes to the lord of Sassenage with cheese. Over time, this cheese evolved into Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage , now one of the jewels of Vercors gastronomy.

Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage, AOP since 1998

An iconic cheese of the Vercors-Sassenage region, Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage is recognizable by its creamy, blue-veined paste and subtle hazelnut flavor. Its production combines warmed milk from the previous day with warm, raw milk from the morning milking. It can be enjoyed on its own, but is also used in many recipes.

This cheese perpetuates the practices and know-how of the farmers of the Vercors. Thus , Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage obtained its Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée in 1998. Then , in 2001, it obtained the Appellation d'Origine Protégée (AOP).

  • Cubes of Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage AOP cheese on a wooden trayLucie Moraillon by Inspiration Vercors
  • Wheel of Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage AOP cheeseLucie Moraillon by Inspiration Vercors
  • Production of Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage AOP cheeseLucie Moraillon by Inspiration Vercors
Sassenage Vercors blue cheese platter in a mountain fieldLucie Moraillon by Inspiration Vercors

a cheese born in the heart of the mountains

Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage is one of the few French PDO cheeses produced entirely within a Regional Natural Park. Its production area is limited to 27 municipalities in the Drôme and Isère departments.

The milk comes from three breeds of cows: Abondance, Montbéliarde, and Villarde. Thus , this cheese remains closely linked to the history, landscapes, and agricultural practices of the Vercors region.

Where can I find Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage cheese?

Would you like to taste or buy Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage AOP during your stay? Find producers, cheese shops and good places in the Saint-Marcellin Vercors Isère area where you can discover this emblematic Vercors cheese.

Vercouline with Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage

La Vercouline: a recipe with Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage cheese

An easy recipe proposed by Inspiration Vercors to taste a raclette 100% made in Vercors!

INGREDIENTS FOR 8 PERSONS :
• 1,6 kg of Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage (200 g / pers.)
• 16 potatoes
• Charcuterie (cooked and raw country ham, sausage, etc.)
• Walnuts at will
• Condiments: pickles, baby onions
• A beautiful seasonal salad

PREPARATION:
• Cut the Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage into strips, arrange them on a serving platter
• Cook the potatoes in water in their skins, drain them and present them in a heatproof dish with a little water in the bottom
• This dish will be placed during the meal on the raclette machine to keep the potatoes warm
• Arrange the charcuterie on a serving platter
• Add to the table, a bowl of nuts, a bowl of pickles.

SERVICE:
• Melt the blue cheese in the cups of the raclette machine, let the melted cheese flow over the potatoes and cold cuts
• Serve with a small salad and Châtillon-en-Diois wine.


All recipe cards

The Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage AOP sector

The sector is supported by the Syndicat Interprofessionnel du Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage, which guarantees the quality required by the AOP and its specifications. It is made up of milk processors and producers in the appellation area.

learn more

Cow breeding in the mountains in the VercorsSandrine and Matt Booth