Wisconsin Cheese Named 2016 World Champion
Wisconsin cheesemakers dominated the competition at the recent World Championship Cheese Contest, including taking home the top prize, 2016 World Champion, for Team Emmi Roth USA’s Roth® Grand Cru® Surchoix, a Wisconsin Original hard smear-ripened cheese. This marks the first time a cheese made in the U.S. has won the competition since 1988.
This year's contest drew a record-breaking 2,955 entries from 23 countries, 31 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Wisconsin captured 38 percent of all awards, winning 127 awards total, over 100 more than its closest competitor, California, with 25 awards and New York with 24 awards.
Wisconsin cheesemakers won 42 Best of Class awards, 37 second place, and 47 third place awards. This year's contest marked the sixth consecutive World Championship in which Wisconsin has won more than 30 percent of all awards.
“This award reinforces what people around the world already know-our reputation for making some of the world’s greatest cheeses is well deserved,” said James Robson, CEO of Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. “Exceptional milk from Wisconsin dairy farms becomes exceptional cheese in the hands of Wisconsin cheesemakers, and that is a hard combination to beat. We congratulate Team Emmi Roth USA on their win, and consider it a win for the entire state of Wisconsin.”
Wisconsin cheesemakers also swept 20 of 110 competition classes: Open Class: Shredded Cheese, Flavored & Unflavored; Prepared Cheese Foods; Mozzarella, Part Skim; Parmesan; Aged Asiago (over 6 months); Feta; Feta, Flavored; Havarti; Havarti, Flavored; String Cheese; String Cheese, Flavored; Brick, Meunster; Gouda, Flavored; Smear Ripened Hard Cheeses; Bandaged Cheddar, Mild to Medium; Bandaged Cheddar, Sharp to Aged; Cold Pack Cheese, Cheese Food; Cold Pack Cheese Spread; Pasteurized Process Cheeses; and Colby.
For a complete listing of Wisconsin's awards, visit EatWisconsinCheese.com.
Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.
