My 5 Tips for Enjoying the Ultimate Burgundian Cheese Cruise

There are cheese carts. Cheese plates. Cheese shops. And now, as I’ve just discovered, a cheese cruise. It was while booking through Barge Lady Cruises I had my first indication that cheese was going to take center stage. Connecting with the agency’s marketing maven Stephanie Sack I discovered her love and passion for cheese, which I immediately detected in emails sent from her Chicago office as we were planning my trip. At times I wondered if I had made a new cheese soul mate, as our emails were sprinkled with notes on our favorite cheeses. She even checked in by email during the sail, wanting to know what I was eating, requesting photos as proof.

Textures of Beetroot photo credit Kristine Hansen

My recent six-night sail on European Waterways L’Art de Vivre was a veritable study in cheese. Cheese boards were folded into every meal—yes, even breakfast!—and the same cheese was never served twice. Cheese was also a reoccurring ingredient in starters to every meal, such as—on one night—a dollop of burrata perched on top of Textures of Beetroot, a unique creation from Chef Jamie.

Cheese appetizers photo credit Kristine Hansen

When cocktails were handed to us upon return from a day off barge, the paired canapes often included cheese, too, such as skewers with mozzarella balls, cherry tomatoes, and basil leaves. In fact, our first dinner’s starter of Chabichou du Poitou goat cheese bon-bons, served with fresh figs and fig jam was my favorite. Is Chabibou du Poituou the best cheese in France? It might just be.

1. Climb Aboard a Barge

Marked by marine-blue exterior paint, L’Art de Vivre is the oldest in the fleet, a former supply vessel to Allied troops in the Battle of the Somme during World War I. It seemed fitting that I would be floating along the Canal du Nivernais and River Yonne—at times only slightly wider than the barge—through sleepy-but-cute towns filled with history as I and the two other passengers received numerous tutorials in the ancient history of French cheese. That the barge normally holds eight passengers but bookings fell short only meant more cheese for us, right?

Hard cheeses photo credit Kristine Hansen

2. Find a Local & Personally Curated Experience

Nearly all fromages served are locally derived from small farmsteads within Burgundy. Unlike other cheese regions, particularly in the States, some creameries are so micro in their production they lack a company name or brand. Instead, it’s so-and-so—a cheesemaker everyone knows. Or, the cheese is so linked to the terroir that the region becomes its identity (for example, it’s simply known as Tomme de Jura, which literally translates to a farmstead cheese in Jura).

On board our host asked questions at each meal about favorite cheeses we’d consumed. Praise for particular selections was often acknowledged in the next meal where she’d roll out a cheese that resembled a crowd-pleaser, but expressed further nuances. For example, observing my adoration for a semi-hard Tomme de Chevre the night prior, she swiftly introduced Cantal Entre-deux, “the closest to English cheddar,” she said. Insider tip: it pays to share feedback about the cheese board.

3. Choose a Small & Intimate Sailing

When you’re in a large restaurant—or even on a large cruise ship—there isn’t an opportunity to query the wait staff or even the sommelier. They have other tables to serve, other tasks to fulfill. But on a ship with only a handful of passengers, it’s totally possible to geek out on cheese.

Slate cheese board photo credit Kristine Hansen

Our host took great pride in creating these cheese boards, which were always served on a black slate square and as the next-to-last course on each menu. Cheeses were paired with different dessert wines at dinner, like Crème de Cassis (a popular Burgundian spirit), Sauternes and Crème de Peche. Adorning the cheese boards were different accouterments each time, such as nuts, grapes, fresh sliced figs, or berries. After a short presentation of the cheeses, with info about the terroir and region where it hailed from, she’d stick around to answer any of our questions about said cheeses. It was clear she had a passion for cheese.

In fact, while moored in Auxerre, I bumped into our host along the canal as she headed to a cheese shop she knew well. Dinner would be served in an hour and she wanted only the best selections. Often when she’d bring out the cheese course we’d talk for a half-hour about the origin of these cheeses and her face would light up as she shared knowledge of the cheesemaker, shop, or farmers market she’d found it at.

4. Dine on Cheese as the French Do

Meals are served in the dining room, with a skylight, walls of windows, and—if weather is nice—a door opens to the deck. Sometimes dinners are served on the deck, which is always open to guests and includes a hot tub.

Just one of the meals on our sail was served off-site: a lunch at Domaine Laroche’s events space in the heart of Chablis that’s a former monastery dating back to the 9th century and where the monks of Saint Martin de Tours once made wine. A cheese plate featuring Comte was delightfully wedged between the entrée and dessert course, as the French often do.

5. Save Your Cheese List

After the sail, I was back in Paris for a night before my flight home to the States. I opened my email and there it was, a tangible lead that this cheese cruise was not just a dream. The captain had emailed me and the other guests our menus for every meal, including the cheese lists. Back in the States, I knew exactly what I’d be doing after I’d unpacked: hunting down some of those selections, to continue my own cheese journey, stateside.

These are the cheeses we enjoyed on board. You’ll find some but not all outside of France.

Souréliette de Hyelzes la Fédou

Mimolette

Fourme d’Ambert

Morbier

Bleu de la Queuille

Tomme de Chèvre

Cantal Entre-Deux

Cantal Vieux

Salers

Bleu de Chèvre

Cardabelle Brebis

Chaource

Bleu de Brebis

Gaperon du Chèvre

Tomme de Jura

Crottin de Chavignol Sec

Cancoillole aux Morilles

Bleu de Gex

Saint Nectaire

Soumaintrain

Époisses

Roquefort

Brie de Beaux

27-month Comté

10-month Comté