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The Results of the 2022 World Championship Cheese Contest are in!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

 2022 World Championship Cheese Contest

The 2022 World Championship Cheese Contest was held from March 1st to 3rd in Madison, Wisconsin. Out of almost 3,000 entries from 29 different countries, a panel of expert judges has determined the best cheeses in the world. This year's judges have a whopping 700+ years of combined experience in the dairy industry!


The cheese that took home the World Champion title at the awards was a Swiss cheese called Gourmino Le Gruyère AOP by cheesemaker Michael Spycher. According to the Gourmino website, "Our Le Gruyère AOP cheeses are handcrafted by three master cheese makers in their village- and mountain dairies. The 3-time award for “World Cheese Champion” confirms our small but fine selection and affinage of the most famous cheeses in the world."


The first runner up was Appenzeller® Mild-Würzig by cheesemaker Hans Näf from Switzerland. The second runner up was Erzherzog Johann, a mature washed rind hard cheese, by cheesemaker Othmar Pichler and his team from Austria.


The World Champion, first and second runner ups were determined after the judges narrowed down the nearly 3,000 entries to just 20 cheeses. According to the World Championship Cheese Contest's March 7th, 2022 press release, the 20 specially-selected cheeses are as follows:


Class 4: Cheddar, Aged One to Two Years

Cheese Name: Aged Cheddar – One to Two Years

Maker: Kiel Production Team

Company: Land O Lakes, Inc.

Location: Kiel, Wisconsin, USA


Class 31: Feta, Flavored

Cheese Name: Odyssey Peppercorn Feta

Maker: Steve Webster

Company: Klondike Cheese Co.

Location: Monroe, Wisconsin, USA


Class 35: Gorgonzola

Cheese Name: BelGioioso CreamyGorg

Maker: Jeff Allen

Company: BelGioioso Cheese Inc.

Location: Denmark, Wisconsin, USA


Class 38: Open Class: Cheeses with Blue Molding

Cheese Name: Red Rock

Maker: Team Roelli

Company: Roelli Cheese Co., Inc.

Location: Shullsburg, Wisconsin, USA


Class 41: Gouda, Mature (4-10 months)

Cheese Name: Beemster Royaal

Maker: Lieke Kortekaas

Company: Beemster

Location: Westbeemster, Netherlands


Class 42: Gouda, Extra Aged (over 10 months)

Cheese Name: Roemer Sweet

Maker: Team Van der Heiden Kaas

Company: Van der Heiden Kaas B.V.

Location: Bodegraven, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands


Class 44: Gouda, Smoked

Cheese Name: Castello Smoked Cracked Pepper Gouda

Maker: Dave Newman

Company: Arla Foods

Location: Kaukauna, Wisconsin, USA


Class 52: Gruyere

Cheese Name: Gourmino Le Gruyère AOP

Maker: Michael Spycher, Mountain Dairy Fritzenhaus

Company: Gourmino AG

Location: Langnau i.E., Bern, Switzerland


Class 53: Appenzeller

Cheese Name: Appenzeller® Mild-Würzig

Maker: Hans Näf

Company: Käserei Niederbüren AG

Location: Niederbüren, Switzerland


Class 57: Washed Rind/Smear Ripened Semi-soft (Semi-hard), Aged Cheeses (over 4 months)

Cheese Name: Tête de Moine AOP

Maker: Fromages Spielhofer

Company: Fromages Spielhofer SA

Location: St-Imier, Bern, Switzerland


Class 58: Washed Rind/Smear Ripened Hard Cheeses, Mature (less than 9 months)

Cheese Name: Erzherzog Johann

Maker: Pichler Othmar and Team

Company: Obersteirische Molkerei eGen

Location: Knittelfeld, Steiermark, Austria


Class 59: Washed Rind/Smear Ripened Hard Cheeses, Extra Aged (over 9 months)

Cheese Name: Roth Grand Cru Surchoix

Maker: Team Emmi Roth – Monroe

Company: Emmi Roth

Location: Monroe, Wisconsin, USA


Class 60: Wine/Spirits Washed Rind/Smear Ripened Cheeses

Cheese Name: Mont Vully Réserve

Maker: Käserei Schafer AG

Company: Käserei Schafer AG

Location: Cressier FR, Fribourg, Switzerland


Class 68: Open Class: Semi-soft Cheeses

Cheese Name: Holland Master Cantenaar

Maker: Team Steenderen

Company: Royal FrieslandCampina

Location: Amersfoort, Netherlands


Class 69: Open Class: Hard Cheeses

Cheese Name: Beemster Royaal Grand Cru

Maker: Team Beemster

Company: Beemster

Location: Westbeemster, Netherlands


Class 73: Open Class: Semi-soft Cheeses, Flavored

Cheese Name: Point Reyes TomaTruffle

Maker: Kuba Hemmerling & Team

Company: Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company

Location: Petaluma, California, USA


Class 77: Reduced Fat Soft & Semi-soft Cheeses

Cheese Name: Vermeer

Maker: Team Steenderen

Company: Royal FrieslandCampina

Location: Amersfoort, Netherlands


Class 102: Hard Sheep’s Milk Cheeses, Extra Aged (over 6 months)

Cheese Name: Ocooch Reserve

Maker: Brenda Jensen

Company: Hidden Springs Creamery

Location: Westby, Wisconsin, USA


Class 104: Surface (Mold) Ripened Sheep’s Milk Cheeses

Cheese Name: Los Cameros Cured Sheep Cheese

Maker: Lácteos Martínez S.L.U.

Company: Lácteos Martínez S.L.U.

Location: Haro, La Rioja, Spain


Class 107: Soft & Semi-soft Mixed Milk Cheeses

Cheese Name: Nettle Meadow Kunik

Maker: Team Nettle Meadow

Company: Nettle Meadow

Location: Warrensburg, New York, USA


Click here to see the complete results of the contest. Congratulations to all of the winners!


Header image sources: Trier and Swiss cheese image by World Championship Cheese Contest via their Facebook. World Championship Cheese Contest medal image by World Championship Cheese Contest via their website.

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