An international panel of judges at the World Champion Cheese Contest, held every two years in Wisconsin, deemed a mild low-fat Vermeer Gouda from dairy maker FrieslandCampina in the Netherlands the best in show, giving the cheese a near-perfect score of 98.74!
First runner-up went to a smear ripened, semi-soft cheese, Winzer Kase from Swiss cheesemaker Wattenwil, followed by an Appenzeller cheese by SO Appenzeller, also from Switzerland.
Appenzeller cheese is a hard cow’s milk cheese produced in the northeast region of the country.
During Wednesday’s taste test, 40 judges dressed in white lab coats who hailed from far as Argentina, Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, and the UK scrutinized, sniffed, nibbled and spit before deciding on their favorite cheeses.
Meanwhile, at the World Cheese Awards in England last year, a 10-month old Ossau-Iraty made by family-owned business Fromagerie Agour in the southwest of France, was named the champion cheese.
Source: NY Daily News