Swiss Wheel is Top Cheese

Team Guggisberg Sugarcreek, of Guggisberg Cheese, Millersburg, Ohio, took top honors out of 1,892 entries from 28 states for their Swiss wheel at the United States Championship Cheese Contest. Out of a possible 100 points, the Swiss wheel scored 98.496 in the final round of judging. Submitted photo.

A national panel of expert judges named a Swiss wheel as the 2015 U.S. Championship Cheese. Team Guggisberg Sugarcreek, of Guggisberg Cheese, Millersburg, Ohio, took top honors out of 1,892 entries from 28 states for their Swiss wheel. Out of a possible 100 points, the Swiss wheel scored 98.496 in the final round of judging.

First runner-up in the contest, with a score of 98.389, is a brick cheese made by John (Randy) Pitman of Mill Creek Cheese in Arena, Wis. Second runner-up is a medium cheddar, made by the Kiel Production Team, in Land O Lakes, Kiel, Wis., which scored 98.337.

The closest local winner was the Agropur plant in Luxemburg, which took home best of class in Mild Provolone, with 99.35 points, and second place in the same category with 99.3 points; Best of class in Smoked Provolone with 99.15 points, and a third place in the same category with 98.8 points; and a third place in the Reduced Sodium Cheese category for a Reduced Sodium provolone with 99.1 points.

“Every medalist should be extremely proud of being recognized as the best of the best in the largest national dairy competition ever held,” said John Umhoefer, executive director of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, which hosts the biennial competition. Wisconsin took home the most gold medals, with 56 of the total 90 categories judged. New York came in second among the states, with seven golds. California had six gold medals, Vermont had five, Idaho had four, and Oregon had three.

The United States Championship Cheese Contest is the largest technical evaluation of cheese, butter and yogurt in the country and is rooted in more than 120 years of history, beginning when the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association held its first cheese contest in 1891. In recent years, the event has flourished, more than doubling in size since 2001. This year, more than 33,000 pounds of dairy products were entered into the contest. For more information on the contest, as well as complete results for all 90 entry classes and contest photos, visit uschampioncheese.org.