Roquefort-sur-Soulzon

The Combalou plateau collapsed in a prehistoric landslide, leaving a mass of broken rock riddled with fissures called fleurines through which air moves constantly, keeping the caves beneath at a steady low temperature and high humidity. Roquefort is made from raw ewe's milk, mostly from Lacaune sheep, inoculated with Penicillium roqueforti, and by law it can only be ripened in these cellars, which is why every wheel in the world comes from one village. A charter of 1411 from Charles VI gave the villagers the monopoly on the name, making it one of the oldest protected foods anywhere. Several producers run cellar visits with tasting.

What you actually see

• The fleurines - natural fissures ventilating the cellars year-round.
• The ripening cellars - wheels racked on oak in the cold and damp.
• The cave visits - producers explaining the mould and the ageing.
• The Combalou cliff - the collapsed plateau the village sits under.

When to go

Year-round; the cellars stay cold whatever the season, so this works well on a hot day. Visits run more frequently in summer. Take a warm layer.

Honest expectations

Cellars are around eight to ten degrees and damp. Tours are guided, timed and end in a shop. The village itself is a single street with little else to see.

Nearby

Millau lies north; La Couvertoirade is southeast on the Larzac.