Jane Burns
Sylvain Diedrichs, a representative of Savencia Cheese USA, hoists the Best in Show ribbon during the finals of the World Championship Cheese Contest at Monona Terrace.
The World Championship Cheese Contest on Thursday lived up to its name when a cheese from France took top honors, followed by top placings from two other European cheeses.
And the winner is.... Esquirrou!
Esquirrou, a sheep’s milk cheese from the Basque region of France, was named world champion at Monona Terrace to top a record 3,402 entries. It was the first time a cheese from France had taken top honors at the world event that began in 1957. It is made at Mauleon Fromagerie in the southwest of France, and imported by Savencia Cheese USA of New Holland, Pennsylvania.
Esquirrou is a smaller version of a traditional French Basque cheese called Ossau-Iraty, made from the milk of a single breed of sheep. It comes in 5-pound wheels, is aged at least 90 days and, according to a news release, features nutty notes and a toasted wheat aroma.
First runner-up was Austria’s Arzberger Ursteirer, a hard cheese made of cow’s milk and ripened in a silver mine for five months. Second runner-up was Mont Vully Bio, an organic raw-milk cheese from Switzerland rubbed with organic Pinot Noir wine.
Five Wisconsin cheeses made the list of 20 finalists, including English Hollow Cheddar made by Maple Leaf Cheese in Monroe. Overall, Wisconsin cheeses took Best of Class in 42 of the 104 cheese categories judged during the week.
Wisconsin producers didn’t just dominate in cheese, however. Yodelay, the yogurt company launched last year by chocolatier Markus Candinas, swept the top five places in the lowfat yogurt category (the rhubarb flavor won) and three of the top five spots in the drinkable cultured products category (with Yodelay’s pineapple flavor winning).
Klondike Cheese Company of Monroe swept the top five spots in the flavored high-protein product category with its Odyssey Greek yogurts, with the peach flavor winning.
In addition, Nordic Creamery of Westby took top honors for flavored butter with its garlic and basil flavor.
The world championships will return to Monona Terrace in 2020. For full results of this year’s competition, go to worldchampioncheese.org.
