Cream of the Crop – Artisanal Cheese Artisanal cheese bears a
timeless appeal that is a tribute to the communities producing
it. The story of the Rigotte Condrieu and the AOC appellation
illustrates the lengths producers and certifiers of artisanal
cheese will go to protect their common heritage. On the slopes
of the Massif du Pilat, south-west of the city of Lyon, in the
Rhône-Alpes of France, 105 farmers perform a ritual that has
been carried out by their forefathers since the 19th century.
They collect raw milk from some 10,000 head of Alpine and Saanen
goats bred within Massif Central. Each one is reared according
to the strictest regulations, detailing everything from the
composition of their feed and the space of their living quarters
to the maximum quantity of milk collected each year. Each goat
has the luxury of a minimum mulching area of 1.5 square meters,
at least three square meters of outdoor space for exercise, and
not more than 180 days out to the pastures to forage for their
own food. Even when