I’ve called it the best job in the world previously and that still stands, but this year new heights were reached.
The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association’s “United States Championship Cheese Contest” was grand by all measures. The atrium venue at Lambeau Field was the best ever in my experience, a far cry from my first trip to Green Bay and cheeses were stored and judged at Lov-it Creamery and the judges lodged at the Embassy Suites.
The Lambeau Atrium venue was well lit, very stable temperature and the natural light was a real asset in evaluation of the cheese.
First impressions of the contest this year and a heads up to what might be coming, the lodging at the Cambria Suites was exceptional. This hotel, located a mile or so from Lambeau Field, also broke the mold for your typical hotel room.
Very modern styling with features that would do any architecturally designed home credit. The rooms were easy to be in and were perhaps the best cross over between a business hotel and leisure hotel I have come across, sophisticated luxury with a great breakfast.
As always the WCMA hospitality
was first class. It starts out with a three-plant tour south of Green Bay, Pine River Pre-Pack, Henning's Cheese and Land O’Lakes’ Kiel plant.
We visited in this order and the increasing magnitude of scale was impressive, as was the professionalism of the management at each location coupled with great hospitality. Jim Cisler from DBIC and DATCP in Madison was the tour host and did a great job.
On behalf of my fellow judges on the tour I would like to thank Phil Lindemann at Pine River Pre-Pack, Kerry Henning of Henning’s Cheese and Dale Schmidt at Land O’Lakes for taking the time to show us around.
Cheese contests each take on their own individual character; this contest stands high for technical excellence in cheesemaking, two technical judges judging several classes as a team evaluate and score each cheese. Cheeses are evaluated primarily for their technical excellence as cheese; cheese must be received at the contest venue in
prime condition.
The big standout for me was the almost complete absence of cheese that should not be in the contest, less than in previous contests. Put that in perspective with the number of record entries, 1,366, of which a few were butter, the workload was modest requiring a judge to cover approximately 60 cheeses per day for two days.
The absence of substandard cheeses enables judges to focus on quality, not to be distracted by the psychology of an entry that is entered without hope of placing. For those cheese makers who feel they need to get feedback on the quality of their cheese there are better ways.
As for the winners, SarVecchio Parmesan has a long legacy of excellence and is truly a world class cheese. I doubt that there was a judge who was surprised by the outcome of this final round. Congratulations to Sartori Foods and the cheese maker team at Antigo for producing a wonderful cheese.
Second place, Classico Hard Goat’s Cheese made by Tumalo Farms in Bend Oregon. I felt this cheese was almost without fault. I have long been an advocate for quality hard goat milk cheese and feel there is a lot of untapped potential.
I would go so far as to say I believe in an aged cheese market which is developing in the USA goat cheese will continue to share the medals with cow’s milk cheese. Goat milk cheese has truly come of age, it was a goat milk Cheddar that took Best of Show at the American Cheese Society contest in 2008. Bring on the goat milk cheeses.
New York Medium Cheddar, a cheese aged in a vacuum bag; the goat was aged on wood shelves open to the air; the SarVecchio also owes its character to open air aging. It is good to see a cheese representing the mainstream of American sustenance featured in a competition of excellence.
There was a time when three blocks of rindless American style cheese would vie for the three top placings in this contest. that dominance has been fading over the last 15 years. There are still great cheese made in commodity formats and this cheese is a testimony to that, but it will be harder every year to come up with cheese in this format which can top this contest.
Because rinded and rindless cheese are different the WCMA created a class for rinded Cheddar; this year a rindless cheese beat them out in the grand scheme of things, the new system is working.
It was an honor to be asked back to judge this contest, it was of the highest standard in every regard. I would like to pass on my thanks to everyone who made this possible most of whom are behind the scenes.
So looking to the future, how many entries should the WCMA prepare for in 2010 for the World Contest? r
Neville McNaughton, president of Cheez Sorce, St. Louis, MO, has
many years of experience manufacturing dairy products in both New
Zealand and US. He has been a judge at several cheese competitions.
Neville will be writing a regular column in Cheese Reporter and will
take any questions regarding cheese manufacture. You can reach him
at neville@cheezsorce.com. jumhoefer@wischeesemakersassn.
org
Captain of Your Vat