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D R I N K S W I T H C H E E S E 24 culturecheesemag.com T R AV E L 202 2 N estled in the heart of southwestern France, the Dordogne offers a feast for all senses. Highly regarded for its myriad historic monuments and pretty medieval villages, the region is characterized by a bucolic landscape of gentle river valleys, dense forests, and rolling hillsides blanketed in sunflowers and vines. Art de vivre, or the art of living, isn't just another alluring French expression here; it is deeply intertwined with a rich gastronomic and Dordogne: Cheese, Wine, and Art de Vivre T H I S IDY L L I C R EG I O N O F FR A N CE I S SU R E TO KEEP YO U COM IN G B ACK FO R MO R E w r i t t e n by PAO L A WE S TB E E K p h oto g r a p h e d by H A N S WE S TB E E K viticultural heritage. Appreciating what's on your plate or in your glass is elevated to an art form. And it all starts in the hands of dedicated producers. The Dordogne, also known as Périgord, is home to the vineyards of Bergerac and Duras, located on both banks of the Dordogne River and stretching over 29,000 acres. Composed of seven unique appellations—Bergerac, Monbazillac, Saussignac, Rosette, Pécharmant, Montravel, and Duras—its wine spectrum includes everything from elegant reds to sweet aromatic whites that are redolent of honey and candied fruits. In terms of history, soil, climate, and grape varieties, the Dordogne's wines are similar to those of the prestigious Bordeaux region to the west, yet each appellation is distinct, and each estate has its own unique character. There are choices aplenty to complement a culinary cornucopia that includes black truffles, duck and goose specialties, walnuts, succulent lamb, and strawberries—not to mention excellent cheeses. TRAPPE D'ECHOURGNAC "We wanted to be in natural surroundings and our work to be linked to our faith," says Antoine Dumont. In September 2020 he and his wife Quitterie took over the management of the cheese factory at Abbey Notre-Dame de Bonne-Espérance in Échourgnac, a tiny village in the center of the Double Forest. The young couple had just returned from an eventful 18-month camping trip through Africa with their children and were looking to add more meaning to their lives. They left their busy careers—he worked in business development, she was a nurse—and found their calling at the abbey, working with 22 sisters between the ages of 28 and 97 who refine the Dordogne's oldest cheese, Trappe d'Echourgnac. The semi-hard cheese is made with pasteurized cow's milk and has a pressed, uncooked paste. Its recipe was brought over by Cistercian monks who settled in the area in 1868. Originally from the Mayenne department in northwestern France, they went to Échourgnac to reclaim the marshy land, develop the area, and help put an end to a raging malaria plague. By 1878 the monks had built an abbey complete with a modern cheese factory. Production stopped in 1910 after the community dispersed, but when a group of nuns took over in 1923, they unearthed the old recipe and carried forth the cheesemaking tradition. Cheese is no longer made on site, but the nuns have taken on the task of affineurs. Every Wednesday morning the young cheeses arrive from Brittany in