At the Table: Apremont and Fondue Savoyarde
The wine, the recipe and the pairing: a Savoyard fondue with a bottle of Apremont from beneath Mont Granier.
Photo: Vasile Cotovanu, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The wine
Domaine Giachino — Apremont, Vin de Savoie
Domaine Giachino grows Jacquère among rocks left by the Mont Granier landslide, near Lac de Saint-André. Its Apremont is aged on lees in stainless steel. The estate describes lemon, bergamot, pineapple and elderflower. For fondue I would choose a recent vintage, served cool rather than icy, around 9–11°C.
Fondue Savoyarde
Serves four generously.
Ingredients
- 300g Beaufort
- 300g Comté
- 200g Emmental de Savoie
- 300ml dry Apremont
- 1 garlic clove
- 400–500g day-old country bread
- 1 tablespoon kirsch (optional)
- 1–2 teaspoons cornflour mixed with a little cold wine (optional)
- Black pepper
- Grated nutmeg
Method
- Grate the cheeses and mix together. Cut the bread into cubes, leaving some crust on each piece.
- Rub the inside of a fondue pot, or caquelon, with the cut garlic.
- Add the Apremont and warm gently until it begins to simmer.
- Add the cheese gradually, stirring until each handful melts.
- Stir in the cornflour mixture, if using, to help prevent separation.
- Keep the heat gentle. Add kirsch, pepper and nutmeg.
- Adjust with a little warm wine if too thick. Avoid vigorous boiling.
- Transfer to a tabletop burner and serve immediately with the bread.
This is a three-cheese Savoyard-style version; local recipes vary, and I would not dream of declaring one definitive.
The pairing
One bottle of Apremont for the fondue.
Another for the table.
Depending on the company, you may wish to reconsider those quantities.
And if you happen to be eating it in Savoie, look up at Mont Granier.
Linda Hamilton-Evans writes about wine and landscape from the South of France. She’s working on Earth to Glass, and she also chooses wine for a small number of private clients. About curation →
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