Wheels of Swiss, Appenzeller and Gouda will still line the tables, an international collection of judges will repeatedly smell, taste and spit, and, for the first time, cheese curds will enter the show.
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Glenn Hatcher, of Pacific Cheese Co. in Hayward, California, left, and Keith Glewis, with Foodplus Technical Consultants in Australia, judge the medium cheddar category during the opening hours of the 2020 World Championship Cheese Contest at Monona Terrace. The contest featured entries from 36 states and 26 countries but this year, due to the pandemic, will be closed to spectators.
A plug is pulled from a wheel of cheese in the reduced fat cheeses, soft and semi-soft category during the 2020 World Championship Cheese Contest at Monona Terrace.
David Satterness, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, judges a reduced sodium cheese during the 2020 World Championship Cheese Contest. Of the 60 judges needed for the contest, about half come from outside the U.S.
Spectators, like Jamie Van Hoof and Joe Gruber, right, of the village of Oregon, seen here at the 2020 World Championship Cheese Contest, will not be allowed this year. However, many things, including interviews with judges and the crowning of the top cheese, will be streamed live.
The gala, on the final night of the World Championship Cheese Contest, can draw hundreds of people who sample cheese and watch as the top cheese is announced. The gala will not be held this year since the contest is closed to spectators.
Cheese curds, like these from Bletsoe Cheese in Marathon City, are a Wisconsin staple and will, for the first time, be a part of the World Championship Cheese Contest in March at Monona Terrace. Entries are expected from not only Wisconsin but also from producers in Colorado, California, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York and Iowa.
Photos: World Championship Cheese Contest at Monona Terrace
World Championship Cheese Contest
Glenn Hatcher, of Pacific Cheese Co. in Hayward, California, left, and Keith Glewis, with Foodplus Technical Consultants in Australia, judge the medium cheddar category during Tuesday's opening hours of the World Championship Cheese Contest at Monona Terrace. The contest features entries from 36 states and 26 countries.
World Championship Cheese Contest
Christophe Megevand, Schuman Cheese in New Jersey, judges cheese in the brie category during the World Championship Cheese Contest at Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison, Wis., Tuesday, March 3, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
World Championship Cheese Contest
Wheels and blocks of cheese, some up to 200 pounds, await judging during the three-day World Championship Cheese Contest, which began Tuesday at Monona Terrace.
World Championship Cheese Contest
A delegation from Japan looks on as cheese from their country is judged Tuesday. There are about 300 cheese factories in Japan that submitted 28 entries to this year's contest.
World Championship Cheese Contest
David Satterness, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, judges a reduced sodium cheese during the World Championship Cheese Contest at Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison, Wis., Tuesday, March 3, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
World Championship Cheese Contest
A plug is pulled from a wheel of cheese Tuesday in the reduced fat cheeses, soft and semi-soft category during the World Championship Cheese Contest at Monona Terrace.
World Championship Cheese Contest
Steve Stettler, left, of Decatur Dairy in Brodhead, and Bruce Workman, of Edelweiss Creamery in Monticello, wrap up a wheel of Swiss during the World Championship Cheese Contest at Monona Terrace. Tuesday was the opening day of judging with more scheduled for Wednesday. The top cheese among the record 3,667 entries will be announced Thursday night at a sold-out gala.
World Championship Cheese Contest
Terry Lensmire, with Lensmire Dairy Consulting in Manitowoc, takes in the smell of an entry in the open class: semi-soft cheeses, flavored, during Tuesday's judging at the World Championship Cheese Contest at Monona Terrace. Judges also rate cheese on taste, appearance, texture and color. Most cheeses score between 95 and 99 on a 100-point scale.
World Championship Cheese Contest
Jamie Van Hoof and Joe Gruber, right, of the village of Oregon, take a look at wheels of cheese Tuesday on display during the World Championship Cheese Contest at Monona Terrace. The couple failed to get tickets for Thursday's gala so they attended Tuesday to sample cheese and learn about judging.
World Championship Cheese Contest
(From left) Dean Sommer, with Center for Dairy Research in Madison, and Ernesto Toalombo, of Quito, Ecuador, judge fresh mozzarella cheese during the World Championship Cheese Contest at Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison, Wis., Tuesday, March 3, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
