U.S. Championship Cheese Contest Announces Top 20 Finalists
Out of a record-breaking 2,555 entries in the 2019 United States Championship Cheese Contest, just 20 cheeses remain in the hunt for the title: U.S. Champion Cheese. Over the past two days at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, a team of 60 elite cheese judges have evaluated entries from 35 states based on technical merits, including flavor, texture, appearance, and taste.
The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, the Contest host organization, is now pleased to announce – by order of class number - the names and makers of the cheeses being judged for the top prize.
Class 2: Cheddar, Medium (Three to Six Months)
Cheese Name: Medium Cheddar
Maker: Team Cabot
Company: Cabot Creamery Cooperative
Location: Cabot, Vermont
Class 4: Cheddar, Aged One to Two Years
Cheese Name: Extra Sharp Cheddar
Maker: Team Middlebury
Company: Cabot Creamery Cooperative
Location: Middlebury, Vermont
Class 6: Traditional Waxed Cheddar, Mild to Medium
Cheese Name: English Hollow Cheddar
Maker: Maple Leaf Cheesemaking Team
Company: Maple Leaf Cheesemakers, Inc.
Location: Monroe, Wisconsin
Class 8: Natural Rinded Cheddar
Cheese Name: Top Hat English Truckle Cheddar
Maker: Sara Richards
Company: Door Artisan Cheese Company, LLC
Location: Egg Harbor, Wisconsin
Class 13: Baby Swiss Style
Cheese Name: Baby Swiss Wheel
Maker: Team Guggisberg Doughty Valley
Company: Guggisberg Cheese
Location: Millersburg, Ohio
Class 26: Brick & Muenster
Cheese Name: Muenster
Maker: Matt Henze
Company: Decatur Dairy Inc.
Location: Brodhead, Wisconsin
Class 33: Gorgonzola
Cheese Name: Gorgonzola
Maker: Team Seymour
Company: Great Lakes Cheese
Location: Seymour, Wisconsin
Class 38: Edam & Gouda
Cheese Name: Europa
Maker: Arethusa Farm Dairy
Company: Arethusa Farm Dairy
Location: Bantam, Connecticut
Class 39: Gouda, Aged
Cheese Name: Marieke Gouda Overjarige
Maker: Marieke Gouda Team
Company: Marieke Gouda
Location: Thorp, Wisconsin
Class 41: Smoked Gouda
Cheese Name: Smoked Traditional Gouda
Maker: Maple Leaf Cheesemaking Team
Company: Maple Leaf Cheesemakers, Inc.
Location: Monroe, Wisconsin
Class 47: Washed Rind/Smear Ripened Hard Cheeses
Cheese Name: Roth Pavino Cheese
Maker: Team Emmi Roth
Company: Emmi Roth
Location: Monroe, Wisconsin
Class 56: Open Class: Hard Cheeses
Cheese Name: Marieke Gouda Premium
Maker: Marieke Gouda Team
Company: Marieke Gouda
Location: Thorp, Wisconsin
Class 57: Open Class: Hard Cheeses with Natural Rind
Cheese Name: Roth Grand Cru Reserve Block
Maker: Team Emmi Roth
Company: Emmi Roth
Location: Platteville, Wisconsin
Class 60: Open Class: Flavored Hard Cheeses
Cheese Name: Sartori Reserve Espresso BellaVitano
Maker: Team Sartori
Company: Sartori Company
Location: Plymouth, Wisconsin
Class 62: Open Class: Smoked Soft and Semi-soft Cheeses
Cheese Name: Smoked Burrata
Maker: Team Calabro
Company: Calabro Cheese Corp.
Location: East Haven, Connecticut
Class 79: Surface (Mold) Ripened Goat's Milk Cheeses
Cheese Name: Bijou
Maker: Aged Cheese Team
Company: Vermont Creamery
Location: Websterville, Vermont
Class 82: Hard Goat's Milk Cheeses
Cheese Name: Goat Cheddar
Maker: Team Central Coast
Company: Central Coast Creamery
Location: Paso Robles, California
Class 87: Hard Sheep's Milk Cheeses
Cheese Name: Ewereka
Maker: Team Central Coast
Company: Central Coast Creamery
Location: Paso Robles, California
Class 88: Soft & Semi-soft Mixed Milk Cheeses
Cheese Name: Seascape
Maker: Team Central Coast
Company: Central Coast Creamery
Location: Paso Robles, California
Class 90: Hard Mixed Milk Cheeses
Cheese Name: The Creamery Collection Batch #17
Maker: Team Doe Run
Company: The Farm at Doe Run
Location: Coatesville, Pennsylvania
A complete list of gold, silver, and bronze medalists by class is available now at USChampionCheese.org.
The 2019 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest winner will be named for the first time at Cheese Champion, a crowning reception set for Thursday, March 7 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The event is nearly sold out, but for a limited time, tickets remain available at USChampionCheese.org.
The U.S. Championship Cheese Contest, initiated in 1981, is the nation’s premier technical cheese, butter, and yogurt competition and this year marks the 20th biennial edition.