Swiss Gruyere Named ‘World Champion Cheese’

By Ron Johnson, Dairy Editor
Thursday, March 20, 2008 4:08 PM CDT

A Swiss Gruyere bears the title of “World Champion Cheese.” It earned that distinction during last week’s 2008 World Championship Cheese Contest, held in Madison.

The “world” contest rolls around every two years, alternating with the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest. Both are sponsored by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association.

This year’s supreme Swiss came from the vat of Michael Spycher. He represented Cheesemaker Fritz House, which in Swiss is Kaserei Frtizenhaus.

Out of a possible perfect score of 100 points, this great Gruyere garnered 98.82 during the final round of judging. It n and other entries - had to earn a “gold medal” during the initial round of judging to advance to the championship portion.

Meanwhile, an Italian cheese got the nod as first runner-up. It’s a Gorgonzola made by CERPL Cheesemakers, and it tallied 98.56 points in the championship round. This cheese was made for DCI Cheese Company, Richfield.

Rounding out the top three cheeses is the second runner-up. This Emmentaler garnered 98.42 points in the championship round and was entered in the “rinded Swiss” category. Bernhard Naf, from Kaserei Gunetershausen, Gunetershausen, Switzerland, made this cheese.

Wisconsin cheeses and butters won 27 gold medals, while New York entries took five, those from California and Idaho each earned three. Iowa entries captured two gold medals, with those from Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island each winning one.

Nationally, the United States dominated the contest. U.S. entries took gold medals in 46 of the 77 categories. That included gold medals in both butter classes and the class for retail packaging.

The next-highest medal count went to The Netherlands, with eight gold awards. Denmark followed with six, followed by Canada with four and Switzerland with three.

Two gold medals each went to entries from Austria, Australia and Spain. Entries from France, Italy, South Africa and Sweden each earned one gold medal.

Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association Executive Director John Umhoefer says, "These cheesemakers have participated in the largest international cheese competition ever held. Every medalist should be extremely proud of their accomplishment."

Here’s a closer look at the contest results:

Mild cheddar n best of class to Meister Cheese, Jim McClimans cheesemaker, Muscoda; second award to Parmalat Canada, Winchester, Ontario, Rejean Galipeau cheesemaker; third award to Foremost Farms, Marshfield, made by Foremost Marshfield Group.

Medium cheddar n Land O’ Lakes, Kiel, Kiel Production Team; Great Lakes Cheese, Adams, N.Y., Joe Burnham; and Cabot Creamery, Cabot, Vt., Carl Smith.

Sharp cheddar n Parmalat Canada, Winchester, Ontario, Winchester Cheddar Team; Parmalat Canada, Balderson Cheddar Team; and Carbery Group Ireland, County Cork, Dermoth Curtin.

Cheddar aged one to two years n Maple Leaf Cheese Co-op, Monroe, Roger Larson; Parmalat Canada, Rejean Galipeau; Agropur, Bon-Conseil, Quebec, Canada, Pierre Champagne.

Cheddar aged two years or more n Land O’ Lakes, Kiel, Kiel Production Team; Great Lakes Cheese, Adams, N.Y., Tracy Stuckey; and Great Lakes Cheese, Tim Elmer.

Bandaged cheddar, mild to medium n Rosewood Dairy, Algoma, Chris Renard; Rosewood Dairy, Brian Renard; and Henning Cheese, Kiel, Kerry Henning.

Bandaged cheddar, sharp n Fair Oaks Dairy, Fair Oaks, Ind., Randy Krahenbuhl; Glanbia Foods, Twin Falls, Idaho, Milton Evans; and Carr Valley Cheese, La Valle, Sid Cook.

Colby n Glanbia Foods, Twin Falls, Idaho, Ahmet Maksic; Deutsch Kase Haus, Middlebury, Ind., Ryan Weldy; and Bluegrass Dairy and Food, Glasgow, Kent., Bluegrass Cheese Team.

Monterey Jack n Southwest Cheese, Clovis, N.M., “B” Shift Cheese Department; Darigold, Sunnyside, Wash., Darigold Cheese Team; and Southwest Cheese, Clovis, N.M., “C” Shift Cheese Department.

Marbled-curd cheese n Alto Dairy Cooperative, Black Creek, Gregg Palubicki; Deutsch Kase Haus, Middlebury, Ind., Larry Roberts; and Deutsch Kase Haus, Mike Roberts.

Rinded Swiss-style cheese n Kaserei Guntershausen, Guntershausen, Switzerland, Bernhard Naf; Kaserei Schontal, Bernhardzell, Switzerland, Joachim Oswald; and Kaserei Rohrenmoos, Lommenschwil, Switzerland, Marcel Zuger.

Rindless Swiss-style cheese n Swiss Valley Farms, Monona, Iowa, Don Klotzbach; Middlefield Cheese, Middlefield, Ohio, Scott Baumgartner; and Chalet Cheese Co-op, Monroe, Silvan Blum.

Mozzarella n Sorrento Lactalis, Nampa, Ida., Emet Parrish; Lake Norden Cheese, Lake Norden, S.D., Team Lake Norden; and Kraft Foods, Campbell, N.Y., Mike Stopka.

Mozzarella, part-skim n Empire Cheese, Cuba, N.Y., Steven Scott; Sorrento Lactalis, Nampa, Ida., William Morgan; and Lake Norden Cheese, Lake Norden, S.D., Team Lake Norden.

Provolone, mild n Land O’ Lakes, Denmark, Team Denmark; Trega Foods, Luxemburg, Pat Doelll; and Lake Norden Cheese, Lake Norden, S.D., Team Lake Norden.

Provolone, aged n Burnett Dairy Cooperative, Grantsburg, Steven Tollers; Burnett Dairy Cooperative, Earl Wilson; and Park Cheese, Fond du Lac, Team Steger.

Ricotta n Providence Specialty Products, Providence, R. I., Mark Federico; Quality Cheese, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, Henry Henao Yepes; and Kraft Foods, Campbell, N.Y., Doug Wood.

Parmesan n Australian Cooperative Foods, Lidcombe New South Wales, Australia, Simpson Grana Team; Sartori Food Corp., Antigo, Aaron Quick; and BelGioioso Cheese, Denmark, John Krause.

Baby Swiss style n Arla Foods Kalmar, Kalmar, Sweden, Ake Dahl; Fair Oaks Dairy Products, Fair Oaks, Ind., Randy Krahenbuhl; and Friesland Foods Cheese, Gerkesklooster, The Netherlands, H. Hoovenga.

Feta n Nordex Foods A/S, Norager, Denmark, Tage Christiansen; Tucumcari Mountain Cheese Factory, Tucumcari, N.M., Charles Krause; and Tucumcari Cheese Factory; Scott Novy.

Flavored Feta n Saedager Dairy, Hobro, Denmark, Kenneth Jensen; Formaggio Italian Cheese Specialties, Hurleyville, N.Y., Anthony Mongiello; and Karoun Dairies, Sun Valley, Calif., Rostom Baghdassarian.

Havarti n Arla Foods, Videbak, Denmark, Torben Pradsgaard; Arla Foods, Videbak, Denmark, Torben Pradsgaard; and Arla Foods, Kaukauna, Hollandtown Team.

Flavored Havarti n Arla Foods Taulou, Frederica, Denmark, Team Taulou; Arla Foods, Videbak, Denmark, Peter Moller; and Arla Foods Taulou, Frederica, Denmark, Team Taulou.

Gorgonzola n CERPL, for DCI Cheese, Bologna, Italy, CERPL Cheesemakers; Bornholms Andelsmeieri, Klemensker, Denmark, Per Olesen; and Rogue Creamery, Central Point, Ore., Blue Team.

Gruyere n Kaserei Fritzenhaus, Wasen, Switzerland, Michael Spycher; Kaserei Chatonnaye, Dudingen, Switzerland, Alexander Guey; and Kaserei Kuttel, Jaun, Switzerland, Stefan Kuttel.

String cheese n Rizo Lopez Foods, Riverbank, Calif., Team Rizo Lopez; Kraft Foods, Campbell, N.Y., Dave Atkinson; and Kraft Foods, Campbell, N.Y., Terry Crooker.

Cottage cheese n Swiss Valley Farms, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Swiss Valley Farms Team; Cabot Creamery, Cabot, Vt., Terry Johnson; and Cabot Creamery, Chris Pearl.

Fresh mozzarella n Formaggio Italian Cheese Specialties, Hurleyville, N.Y., Anthony Mongiello; Toscana Cheese, Secaucus, N.J., Francisco Mendez; and Sorrento Lactalis, Nampa, Ida., Pedro Rodriguez.

Blue-veined cheese with exterior mold n Marin French Cheese, Petaluma, Calif., Team Marin French; Point Reyes Cheese, Point Reyes, Calif., Bob Giacomini; and Rogue Creamery, Central Point, Ore., Blue Team.

Blue-veined cheese n Seymour Dairy Products, Seymour, Rob Richter; Salemville Cheese Co-op, Salemville, William Schrock; and Bornholms Andelsmejeri, Klemensker, Denmark, Per Olesen.

Brick, Muenster n Decatur Dairy, Brodhead, Steve Stettler; Klondike Cheese, Monroe, Ron Bechtolt; and Torkelson Cheese, Lena, Ill., Nick Patterson.

Brie n Natural Pastures Cheese, Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada, Paul Sutter; DAMAFRO, Saint-Damase, Quebec, Canada, Michel Bonnet; and Old Europe Cheese, Benton Harbor, Mich., Jean-Manuel Renard.

Camembert and other surface-ripened cheese n National Foods, Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia, Burnie Team; National Foods, Victoria, Australia, Burnie Team; and Berglandmilch/Schardinger, Pasching, Austria, Roland Weidenholzer.

Edam n Friesland Foods Cheese, Marum, The Netherlands, Team Marum; Friesland Foods Cheese, Marum, The Netherlands, Team Marum; and Fonterra Cooperative Group, Lichfield Hawera, New Zealand; Fonterra Lichfield Team.

Gouda n Friesland Foods Cheese, Steenderen, The Netherlands, A. Muilerman; Friesland Foods, Gerkeslooster, The Netherlands, Kaasmakerij; and Babcock Dairy Plant, Madison, Gary Grossen.

Aged Gouda n Friesland Foods Cheese, Steenderen, The Netherlands, B.J.H. Slotboom; Holland’s Family Cheese, Thorp, Holland’s Family Cheese Team; and Friesland Foods, Steenderen, The Netherlands, W.B. Preuter.

Flavored Gouda n Friesland Foods Cheese, Dronrijp, The Netherlands, Hessel Dijkstra; Holland’s Family Cheese, Thorp, Holland’s Family Cheese Team; and Arla Foods, Kaukauna, Hollandtown Team 2.

Quesos Frescos n Tropical Cheese Industries, Perth Amboy, N.J., Roberto Encarnacion; Karoun Dairies, Sun Valley, Calif., Rostom Baghdassarian; and Willamette Valley Cheese, Salem, Ore., Rod Volbeda.

Quesos para Fundir n Torkelson Cheese, Lena, Ill., Jamie White; Zimmerman Cheese, South Wayne, Dennis Schliem; and Valley View Cheese, South Wayne, Hans Lehner.

Smear-ripened soft and semisoft cheese n Kaserei Uzwil, Uzwil, Switzerland, Andreas Streule; Kaserei Tufertschwil, Lutisburg, Switzerland, Walter Rass; and Fromagerie Bergeron, Saint Antoine-de-Tilly, Quebec, Canada, Martin Houde.

Smear-ripened hard cheese n Roth Kase USA, Monroe, Team Roth Kase USA; Uplands Cheese, Dodgeville, Mike Gingrich; and Sennerei Andeer, Andeer, Switzerland, Martin Bienerth.

Pepper-flavored American-style cheese n Glanbia Foods, Twin Falls, Ida.,Mirsad Zuko; AMPI, Jim Falls, Richard Wold; and Burnett Dairy Cooperative, Grantsburg, Rob Stellrecht.

Pepper-flavored cheese, other natural styles n Arla Foods, Kaukauna, Hollandtown Team; Franklin Foods, Enosburg Falls, Vt., Team Franklin Foods; and Uhrenholt A/S Grondal Mejeri, Faaborg, Denmark, Rene Christensen.

Flavored, soft cheese n Arla Foods, Holstebro, Denmark, Team Buko; Arla Foods, Holstebro, Denmark, Tam Buko; and Arla Foods, Videbak, Denmark, Torben Pradsgaard.

Flavored semisoft cheese n Friesland Foods, Marum, The Netherlands, Team Marum; Natural Pastures Cheese, Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada, Paul Sutter; and Formaggio Italian Cheese Specialties, Hurleyville, N.Y., Anthony Mongiello.

Flavored hard cheese n Sartori Foods, Antigo, Mike Matucheski; Sartori Foods, Antigo, Mike Matucheski; and Henning Cheese, Kiel, Kerry Henning.

Flavored cheese with sweet or “dessert” condiments n Arla Foods, Holsebro, Denmark, Team Buko; Glanbia Foods, Twin Falls, Ida., Jadranka Kulasevic; and Arla Foods, Kvibille, Sweden, Rolf Fredriksson.

Smoked cheese n Formaggio Italian Cheese Specialties, Hurleyville, N.Y., Anthony Mogiello; Pearl Valley Cheese, Fresno, Ohio, Red Team; and Gossner Foods, Logan, Utah, Clyde Johnson and Gregg Allen.

Open class soft cheese n Fromagerie Berthaut, Epoisses, France, Jean Berthaut; Cantare Foods, San Diego, Calif., Estuardo Melgar; and BelGioiso Cheese, Denmark, Randy Walter.

Open class semisoft cheese n Berglandmilch/Schardinger, Paschina, Austria, Markus Oswald; Roth Kase USA, Monroe, Team Roth Kase USA; Berglandmilch/Schardinger, Paschina, Austria, Markus Oswald.

Open class hard cheese n Obersteirische Molkerei, Knittefeld, Austria, Werner Wolf and Team; Fromages Maitre Rodolphe, Le Solliat, Switzerland, Rodolphe and Stephane Gosteli; and Obersteirische Molkerei, Knittefeld, Austria, Werner Wolf and Team.

Reduced-fat cheese n Friesland Foods, Steenderen, The Netherlands, H.F.B. Rouwenhorst; Friesland Foods, Dronrijp, The Netherlands, W. Bles; and Kraft Foods, Campbell, N.Y., Terry Crooker.

Lowfat cheese n Parmalat South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa, Mike La Grange and Stephan Otto; Cabot Creamery, Cabot, Vt., Jerry Colbeth; and Fromagerie Bergeron, Saint Antoine-de-Tilly, Quebec, Canada, Thomas Paquin-Roy.

Cold-pack cheese n Bel Brands USA, Kaukauna, Ed Blascak; Carr Valley Cheese, LaValle, Sid Cook; and Pine River Pre-Pack, Newton, Harold Ratzke.

Spreadable cheese n Agropur Fine Cheese Division, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Team Hyacinthe; Kolb Lena Cheese, Lena, Ill., Kolb Lena Cheesemakers; and Karoun Dairies, Sun Valley, Calif., Jaime Graca.

Flavored spreadable cheese n Family Fresh Pack, Belleville, Erin Whitman; Family Fresh Pack, Michelle Huseman; and Agropur Fine Cheese Division, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Team St. Hyacinthe.

Pasteurized processed cheese n AMPI, Portage, Process Slice Department; Chateaux Cheese, Los Angeles, Calif., Team Chateaux; and American Brands, a division of Dairy Farmers of America, Plymouth, AMPI plant employees.

Flavored, pasteurized processed cheese n Friesland Foods, Onsthuizen, The Netherlands, R. Kleverlaan; Friesland Foods, The Netherlands, R. Kleverlaan; and Williams Cheese, Linwood, Mich., Shei Budnik.

Soft goat milk cheese n Montchevre Betin, Belmont, Niana Dunnam; Kolb Lena Cheese, Lena, Ill., Kolb Lena Cheesemakers; and DAMAFRO, Saint-Damase, Quebec, Canada, Michel Bonnet.

Flavored soft goat milk cheese n Woolwich Dairy, Orangeville, Ontario, Canada, Mike Santos; Rivers Edge Chevre, Logsden, Ore., Patricia Morford and Astraea Morf and Spring Howard; and Cypress Grove Chevre, Arcata, Calif., Mary Keehn.

Surface-ripened goat milk cheese n Coach Farm, Pine Plains, N.Y., Rose Parsons; Rivers Edge Chevre, Logsden, Ore., Patricia Morford and Astraea Morf and Spring Howard; and Couturier, NA, San Francisco, Calif., Team Soignon.

Semi-soft goat milk cheese n Cedar Grove Cheese, Plain, Cedar Grove Cheese Team; Vermont Butter and Cheese, Websterville, Vt., Don La Rose; and Quorum International, Sevilla La Nueva, Madrid, Spain, Purificacion Martinez Robles.

Flavored semi-soft goat milk cheese n Carr Valley Cheese, La Valle, Sid Cook; Sierra Nevada Cheese, for Meyenberg Goat Milk, Turlock, Calif., Gregersen, Ben Dundon, John; and Sierra Nevada Cheese, for Meyenberg Goat Milk, Turlock, Calif., Gregersen, Ben Dundon, John.

Hard goat milk cheese n Friesland Foods, Dronrijp, The Netherlands, Joh. Paulus; Friesland Foods, Dronrijp, The Netherlands, P. Deelstra; and Kaasmakerij Henri Willig, Heerenveen, The Netherlands, Willig’s Best Cheesemakers.

Soft sheep milk and mixed-milk cheese n Lactalis USA, Merrill, Dave Zielazowski; Sociedade Agro-Pecuaria De Vale, Ponte de Santiago, Portugal, Queijos Sao Giao; and Hidden Springs Creamery, Westby, Brenda Jensen.

Flavored, soft sheep milk and mixed-milk cheese n Hidden Springs Creamery, Westby, Brenda Jensen; Carr Valley Cheese, La Valle, Sid Cook; and La Maison Alexis de Portneuf, Boucherville, Quebec, Canada, Diane Marcoux.

Surface-ripened sheep milk and mixed-milk cheese n K&K Cheese, Cashton, Tom Torkelson; Carr Valley Cheese, La Valle, Sid Cook; and Kolb Lena Cheese, Lena, Ill., Kolb Lena Cheesemakers.

Semi-soft sheep milk and mixed-milk cheese n Cooperativa Quesera Manchega, for DCI Cheese, Al Alberca De Zancara, Spain; cheesemakers; Lacteas Castellano Leonesas, Fresno De La, Spain, Manuel Viano; and Quorum International, Sevilla La Nueva, Madrid, Spain, Jose Maria, Sevilla Moral.

Hard sheep milk cheese n Alimentias EMC, El Puerto De Santa Maria, Spain, Team Atalanta; ILBESA, Benavente, Spain, Ilbesa Cheese Production Team; Sociedade Agro-Pecuaria de Vale, Ponte de Santiago, Portugal, Queijos Sao Giao.

Hard, mixed-milk cheese n Willamette Valley Cheese, Salem, Ore., Rod Volbeda; Cedar Grove Cheese, for Nordic Creamery, Westby, Al Bekkum; and Cedar Grove Cheese, Plain, Cedar Grove Cheese Team.

Salted butter n O-AT-KA Milk Products, Batavia, N.Y., Mike Clor; Land O’ Lakes, Madison, Team Madison Dairy; and O-AT-KA Milk Products, Batavia, N.Y., Kevin O’Connor.

Unsalted butter n Graf Creamery, Zachow, Team Graf; Grassland Dairy Products, Greenwood, Donald Much; and Larsen’s Creamery, Clackamas, Ore., Bob Armstrong.

Retail packaging n Couturier, NA, San Francisco, Calif., Team Soignon; Lactalis USA, Merrill, Greg Krueger; and Sorrento Lactalis, Nampa, Ida., Pedro Rodriguez.

Snack cheese n Masters Gallery Foods, Plymouth, Masters Gallery Team; Arla Foods, Odense, Denmark, Birkum Ost; and Masters Gallery, Plymouth, Masters Gallery Team.

Open class shredded cheese n Foremost Farms USA, Appleton, Thomas Blauert; Masters Gallery, Plymouth, Masters Gallery Team; and AMPI, Portage, shred department line 8.

Open class flavored, shredded cheese n Masters Gallery, Plymouth, Masters Gallery Team; Masters Gallery, Plymouth, Masters Gallery Team; and Crystal Farms, Lake Mills, Julie Stelpflug.

Open class grated cheese n DairiConcepts, Greenwood, Greenwood Cheese Team; Sartori Foods, Plymouth, Team Plymouth; and DairiConcepts, Greenwood, Greenwood Cheese Team.

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