Savoie's mountain cuisine starts just across the border from Geneva: Annecy is 44 km and about 40 minutes from Geneva Airport, Megève 75 km and about 1 h 10, Chamonix 90 km and about 1 h 15. All three are excellent places to taste fondue savoyarde, raclette, tartiflette and the region's cheeses. AirportsTransfers.ch can drive you to dinner in the mountains and back, so the white wine is not a problem.
- Key cheeses: Reblochon, Beaufort, Abondance, Tomme de Savoie
- Classic dishes: fondue, raclette, tartiflette, croziflette, diots
- Where to taste: Annecy, the Aravis villages, Megève, Chamonix
- Pairing: local white wines from Savoie vineyards
- Season: cheese dishes year-round, at their cosiest in winter
The cheeses behind the dishes
Savoie's cooking is built on its cheeses, most of them made from the milk of cows grazing high pastures in summer. Reblochon, soft and nutty with a washed rind, comes from the Aravis mountains around Thônes and is the heart of tartiflette. Beaufort, a large firm cheese sometimes called the prince of Gruyères, is made in the Beaufortain, Tarentaise and Maurienne valleys and gives fondue its rich, fruity depth. Abondance, from the valley of the same name near Lake Geneva, has a slightly bitter edge. Tomme de Savoie is a simple, everyday cheese with a grey rind, and Emmental de Savoie and Chevrotin, a goat cheese, complete the family. Many are protected by designation of origin, which ties them to specific areas and methods.
Fondue, raclette and tartiflette
Fondue savoyarde is usually a blend of Beaufort, Comté and sometimes Emmental, melted with dry white wine and garlic, eaten with cubes of bread on long forks. Raclette involves melting the cut face of a cheese, traditionally under a fire or special grill, and scraping it onto boiled potatoes, served with cured meats and pickles. Tartiflette, which became popular in the late twentieth century, layers potatoes, onions, lardons and a whole Reblochon, baked until golden. Other dishes worth trying are croziflette, made with crozets, small square buckwheat pasta, diots cooked in white wine, and berthoud, a baked Abondance dish from the Chablais. All are hearty, so walking or skiing beforehand helps.
Where to taste them
Annecy's old town has plenty of restaurants serving Savoyard dishes, and its markets sell cheeses and charcuterie from the surrounding valleys. In the Aravis, villages such as La Clusaz and Le Grand-Bornand are the land of Reblochon, where some farms sell directly and visitors can see how it is made. Megève and Chamonix have chalet restaurants with wood panelling and log fires, and many mountain restaurants on the ski slopes serve fondue at lunch. In the Beaufortain, the cooperative in Beaufort explains how the large wheels are produced and aged. Wherever you go, look for restaurants that name the producers of their cheese.
Wines and drinks
Savoie's vineyards, scattered on sunny slopes along the valleys, produce mostly white wines that cut through rich cheese. Apremont, Chignin and Jacquère-based wines are light and mineral; Chignin-Bergeron, made from Roussanne, is rounder. Mondeuse, a local red grape, is peppery and suits charcuterie. Locals often insist on drinking white wine or tea with fondue rather than cold water. After the meal, a génépi, a herbal liqueur made from Alpine plants, is a traditional digestif. Some valleys also distil fruit brandies from pears and plums, and in the Chartreuse massif further south the famous green and yellow liqueurs are still made by monks.
A food day out from Geneva
A simple itinerary might combine a morning in Annecy's old town and market with lunch by the lake, followed by an afternoon drive into the Aravis to visit a Reblochon farm and dinner in a mountain village. In winter, Megève or Chamonix make a good setting for a fondue evening after a day on the slopes. Because the route crosses the border into France, carry identity documents. Note that many restaurants in resort villages close between seasons, typically in late spring and in autumn, so check before planning a trip.
Booking with AirportsTransfers.ch
Reserve online, see the fixed price for the whole vehicle and pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. A chauffeur by the hour, minimum two hours, suits a progressive food day with several stops; a return trip works for a simple dinner outing. Arrivals at Geneva Airport include a name sign, flight tracking and waiting if your flight is late. Child seats are available on request, and the Mercedes V-Class takes up to seven passengers. Phone or WhatsApp +41 78 346 56 77 to arrange the details.
