A Wisconsin cheese didn’t win the top prize at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest, but the state’s influence on the aged Gouda made in Connecticut is being prominently touted.
Watch the winning announcements at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest on Thursday.
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Wheels and blocks of Swiss await cutting Tuesday during the opening hours of the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest in Ashwaubenon. The three-day event at the Resch Expo center featured 2,249 entries from 35 states.
Cheese awaits judging at this week's U.S. Championship Cheese Contest in Ashwaubenon.
A look at the cutting and judging at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest.
Chris Roelli, co-owner of Roelli Cheese Haus near Shullsburg and a master cheesemaker, is seen here in 2017 showing off a wheel of Little Mountain, an Alpine-style cheese, in one the plant's five cheese caves. Roelli's Red Rock, a blue-veined cheddar, was among the top 20 cheeses at the 2022 World Championship Cheese Contest.
Anna Thomas Bates of Landmark Creamery in Paoli, seen here in 2021, selects a wheel of Sweet Annie, a Gouda-style cheese, from one of the company's cheese caves. Landmark was one of nine Wisconsin entries in the top 20 finalists of the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest.
Photos: U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
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A wheel of Gouda after samples of it were removed and evaluated by judges.
U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
A variety of cheeses line a table in the Resch Expo center Tuesday at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest. The event was founded in 1981 and has grown substantially over the years.
U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
Wheels of cheese await judging Tuesday at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest.
U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
A statue of former Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr greets visitors to the Resch Expo, home to the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest.
U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
Cheese comes in all shapes and sizes for the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest.
U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
The U.S. Championship Cheese Contest is being held this week for the first time since 2019 and is being held in the Resch Expo in Ashwaubenon.
U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
Cheese awaits judging.
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Wheels of hard sheep's milk cheese await judging at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest.
U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
Judge John Jaeggi inputs results into a tablet Tuesday during the opening hours of the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest.
U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
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John Jaeggi, left, of the Center for Dairy Research at UW-Madison, and Christophe Megevand, of Schuman Cheese in New Jersey, judge a block of smear-ripened, semi-soft cheese during the opening Tuesday of the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest in Ashwaubenon. Jaeggi has seen firsthand the growth of the artisan cheese industry during his more than 45-year career in the industry.
U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
Visitors to the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest interact with the judges and are also able to taste the entries once the judging is completed.
U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
A wheel of semi-soft cheese is cut Tuesday by John Jaeggi, a judge at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest.
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John Jaeggi inhales the aroma of a piece of cheese Tuesday during judging at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest. Cheese also is judged by appearance, taste and texture.
U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
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Steve Stettler, left, of Decatur Dairy near Brodhead, works with Bruce Workman, of Edelweiss Creamery in Monticello, to cut a wheel of Deppler Swiss. Both Stettler and Workman are master cheesemakers but are volunteering this week at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest in Ashwaubenon.
U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
A wheel of Swiss cheese from Deppler Cheese, after it was cut Tuesday with a wire.
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Tammy Alderman Miller, a cheese-sourcing manager at Colony Brands in Monroe, pulls a plug of Swiss from a wheel Tuesday as she prepares to judge the entry. Alderman Miller has more than 40 years of experience in the cheese industry.
U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
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Wheels and blocks of Swiss await cutting Tuesday during the opening hours of the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest in Ashwaubenon. The three-day event at the Resch Expo center features 2,249 entries from 35 states.
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Visitors to the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest sample a wide variety of Wisconsin cheese. The offerings included Muenster from Zimmerman Cheese, spreads from Pine River and brick cheese from Widmer's.
U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
A team of 42 judges from around the country will work through Thursday at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest.
