Center of cheese universe returns to Wisconsin
Posted March 06, 2018 6:00 am
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Two years after a Wisconsin cheese captured top honors, the World Championship Cheese Contest is back for another round.
Organizers say they have a record 3,402 entries for the event that started Tuesday in Madison. That's up 15 percent from 2016.
Fifty-five judges will sniff, taste and inspect 121 classes of dairy products, with entries from 26 nations. Winners are to be announced Thursday night.
Two years ago a smear-ripened hard cheese called Grand Cru Surchoix made by Fitchburg, Wisconsin-based Emmi Roth USA won the biennial contest. The cheese is made in Monroe, Wisconsin. The company is a subsidiary of Switzerland-based Emmi Group.
Volunteer Steve Stettler puts down a half of a swiss round after cutting it open during the World Championship Cheese Contest, Tuesday, March 6, 2018. in Madison, Wis. The biennial event started Tuesday and runs through Thursday night. Organizers say this year there are a record of more than 3,402 entries, with participation up 15 percent from 2016. (AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger)
The Associated Press
Volunteer Gordy Bergemann opens a round of swiss cheese during the World Championship Cheese Contest, Tuesday, March 6, 2018, in Madison, Wis. The biennial event started Tuesday and runs through Thursday night. Organizers say this year there are a record of more than 3,402 entries, with participation up 15 percent from 2016. (AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger)
The Associated Press
Judges smell, taste and inspect 121 classes of dairy products during the World Championship Cheese Contest, Tuesday, March 6, 2018, in Madison, Wis. The biennial event started Tuesday and runs through Thursday night. Organizers say this year there are a record of more than 3,402 entries, with participation up 15 percent from 2016. (AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger)
The Associated Press
Christophe Megevand, of Schuman Cheese, New Jersey, judges the Rhined Swiss Style Cheese category in the opening day of the World Championship Cheese Contest at the Monona Terrace in Madison, Wis., Tuesday, March 6, 2018. (Steve Apps/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)
The Associated Press
Mucio Furtado, of DuPont Nutrition and Health, Sao Paulo, Brazil, judges the Rhined Swiss Style Cheese category in the opening day of the World Championship Cheese Contest at the Monona Terrace in Madison, Wis., Tuesday, March 6, 2018. (Steve Apps/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)
The Associated Press
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