Valencay
Name of Group of Producers
Syndicat Interprofessionnel de la pyramide de Valençay
Mairie de Valençay
36600 Valençay
INAO
138, avenue des Champs-Elysées
F - 75008 Paris
DGCCRF
59, Boulevard V. Auriol
F - 75703 Paris CEDEX 13
Valençay is a soft cheese made from goat's milk in the shape of a truncated pyramid, ripened, with a surface mould which is mostly light grey to blue grey in colour.
Geographical area
Département du Cher: Beddes, Celle-Condé (La), Chârost, Chéry, Chezal-Benoît, Genouilly, Graçay, Lignières, Maisonnais, Massay, Montlouis, Nohant-en-Graçay, Rezay, Saint-Ambroix, Saint-Baudel, Saint-Hilaireen-Lignières, Saint-Outrille, Saugy, Touchay, Villecelin.
Département de l'Indre: Aize, Ambrault, Anjouin, Ardentes, Argenton-sur-Creuse, Argy, Arpheuilles, Arthon, Bagneux, Baudres, Berthenoux (La), Bommiers, Bordes (Les), Bouesse, Bouges-le-Château, Bretagne, Brion, Brives, Buxeuil, Buxières-d'Aillac, Buzançais, Celon, Chabris, Champenoise (La), Chapelle-Orthemale (La), Chapelle-Saint-Laurian (La), Chasseneuil, Châteauroux, Châtillon-sur-Indre, Châtre (La), Chavin, Chazelet, Chezelles, Chitray, Chouday, Cléré-les-Bois, Clion, Cluis, Coings, Condé, Déols, Diors, Diou, Dun-le-Poëlier, Dunet, Ecueillé, Etréchet, Faverolles, Fléré-la-Rivière, Fontenay, Fontguenand, Fougerolles, Francillon, Frédille, Gehée, Giroux, Gournay, Guilly, Heugnes, Issoudun, Jeu-les-Bois, Jeu-Maloches, Lacs, Langé, Magny (Le), Menoux (Le), Pechereau (Le), Pérouille (La), Poinçonnet (Le), Pont-Chrétien-Chabenet (Le), Levroux, Liniez, Lizeray, Lourouer-Saint-Laurent, Luant, Luçay-le-Libre, Luçayle-Mâle, Luzeret, Lye, Lys-Saint-Georges, Maillet, Malicornay, Maron, Menetou-sur-Nahon, Ménétréols-sous-Vatan, Méobecq, Mers-sur-Indre, Meunet-Planches, Meunet-sur-Vatan, Mézièresen-Brenne, Migné, Migny, Montgivray, Montierchaume, Montipouret, Montlevicq, Mosnay, Moulins-sur-Céphons, Murs, Neuillay-les-Bois, Neuvy-Pailloux, Neuvy-Saint-Sépulcre, Niherne, Nohant Vicq, Nuret-le-Ferron, Obterre, Orville, Oulches, Palluau-sur-Indre, Parpeçay, Paudy, Paulnay, Pellevoisin, Poulaines, Préaux, Prissac, Pruniers, Reboursin, Reuilly, Rivarennes, Roussines, Rouvres-les-Bois, Sacierges-Saint-Martin, Saint-Aoustrille, Saint-Août, Saint-Aubin, Saint-Chartier, Saint-Christophe-en-Bazelles, Saint-Christophe-en-Boucherie, Saint-Civran, Saint-Cyran-du-Jambot, Saint-Florentin, Saint-Gaultier, Saint-Genou, Saint-Georges-sur-Arnon, Saint-Lactencin, Saint-Marcel, Saint-Martin-de-Lamps, Saint-Maur, Saint-Médard, Saint-Michel-en-Brenne, Saint-Pierrede- Jards, Saint-Pierre-de-Lamps, Saint-Valentin, Sainte-Cécile, Sainte-Faust, Sainte-Gemme, Sainte-Lizaigne, Sarzay, Sassierges-Saint-Germain, Saulnay, Ségry, Selles-sur-Nahon, Sembleçay, Sougé, Tendu, Thenay, Thevet-Saint-Julien, Thizay, Tranzault, Tranger (Le), Vernelle (La), Valençay, Varennes-sur-Fouzon, Vatan, Velles, Vendoeuvres, Verneuil-sur-Igneraie, Veuil, Vicq-Exemplet,
Vicq-sur-Nahon, Vigoux, Villedieu-sur-Indre, Villegouin, Villegongis, Villentrois, Villers-les-Ormes, Villiers, Vineuil, Vouillon.
Département d'Indre-et-Loire: Beaulieu-les-Loches, Beaumont-Village, Bossay-sur-Claise, Bridoré, Charnizay, Chemillé-sur-Indrois, Ferrières-sur-Beaulieu, Genillé, Liège (Le), Loché-sur-Indrois, Loches, Montrésor, Nouansles-Fontaines, Orbigny, Perrusson, Saint-Flovier, Saint-Hippolyte, Saint-Jean-Saint-Germain, Sennevières, Verneuil-sur-Indre, Villedômain, Villeloin-Coulangé.
Département de Loir-et-Cher: Billy, Chapelle-Montmartin (La), Châteauvieux, Châtillon-sur-Cher, Couffi, Gièvres, Maray, Meusnes, Saint-Julien-sur-Cher, Saint-Loup, Selles-sur-Cher.
The presence of goats in Berry is attested by the capitulars of Charlemagne and the town archives of la Châtre en Berry dating from the sixteenth century. It was Talleyrand, chatelain of Valençay during the First Empire, who first introduced the cheese to the tables of the aristocracy of Paris.
The milk used to make Valençay cheese comes from Alpine or Saanen goats, or animals obtained by crossing these two breeds. The goats must have pasturage. The goats must be fed with raw materials produced in the geographical area. The cheese is made with raw, unhomogenised full-fat goat's milk from no more than the four most recent milkings. It is made from a predominantly lactic mixed curd obtained from the development of mesophilic Flora. The curd is placed in the mould directly, without being broken up or pressed, and then left to drain naturally. The cheeses are then left to ripen for no less than seven days. When marketed,
they must have a crust and be covered with surface mould easily visible to the naked eye.
Under no circumstances may the cheeses be removed from the place of ripening and marketed before the eleventh day from the date of renneting.
