For 10 years now, the best cheese shop in Bordeaux has been distributing its creamy treasures in the Saint-Pierre neighborhood. Its boss, Élodie Deruelle, was well equipped for success in the cheese world: a degree in the dairy industry, training at Les Halles de Lyon (more specifically, at Le Cellérier), she had already milked her first goat at the age of 15 in her native Burgundy department. That should give you a sense of the boss’s passion and that of her team, who are generous with their nearly indispensable advice; because how do you choose between a Poitevin goat’s milk tomme cheese (€34/kg), a farm-fresh indarika made with Basque cow’s milk (€35), a Savoie chalet d’alpage Beaufort (€45), and a subtle brie de Meaux from Seine-et-Marne (€25)? Or between a Piedmont Gorgonzola (€35), an English Shropshire blue (€41) and a Corsican sheep’s milk cheese (€51)? It’s nearly impossible! // Albert Gredinbar

The hidden gem: An organic Lou Poutou des bois cheese, made with raw cow’s milk from the Béarn, and covered in spruce needles (€20 a piece).