World's best cheese crowned

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Grace Atherton of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association looks over the top 20 cheeses in 2024 World Championship Cheese Contest that share a table at the event at Monona Terrace on Thursday. Two Wisconsin cheeses made the top 20, a Parmesan from Henning's Cheese in Kiel and a cheddar from Schuman Cheese in Turtle Lake.

JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL

This Parmesan cheese made by Schuman Cheese in Turtle Lake shares the awards table with 19 other finalists at the 2024 World Championship Cheese Contest at Monona Terrace in Madison.

JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL

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The winning cheese in the 2024 World Championship Cheese Contest, a specialty mountain cheese called Hornbacher made by Swiss Cheesemaker Michael Spycher at Mountain Dairy Fritzenhaus for Gourmino AG in Bern Switzerland, receives ribbons by judges at the event at Monona Terrace in Madison, Wis. Thursday, March 7, 2024. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL

JOHN HART STATE JOURNAL

Judges at the World Championship Cheese Contest spent Thursday morning determining the top 20 cheeses in the event.

BARRY ADAMS, STATE JOURNAL

Judges at the World Championship Cheese Contest spent Thursday morning determining the top 20 cheeses in the event. Here, assistant chief judge Tim Czmowski of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, takes a whiff of one of the finalists.

BARRY ADAMS, STATE JOURNAL

Wheels of Gruyere fill a table at the World Championship Cheese Contest, where judges Cathy Strange, left, and Russell Smith, right, work on scoring one of the entries, many of which are from Switzerland.

BARRY ADAMS, STATE JOURNAL

Richard Weiss, a judge from Austria, does a smell test on a block of raclette.

BARRY ADAMS, STATE JOURNAL

John Jaeggi, left, of the Center for Dairy Research at UW-Madison, and Richard Weiss of Austria, judge an entry of raclette Wednesday at the World Championship Cheese Contest. The cheese has its own category in this year's event and is best enjoyed when melted.

BARRY ADAMS, STATE JOURNAL

Samples of cold pack cheese spreads from Pine River Pre-Pack were among the cheese samples on Tuesday but the company also fared well in the competition.

BARRY ADAMS, STATE JOURNAL

Julie Winans, left, with Novonesis in North Ogden, Utah, and Kate Neumeier Clarke, with Wisconsin Aging and Grading Cheese in Kaukauna, judge open class: cheese curds, flavored during the World Championship Cheese Competition at Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison, Wis., Tuesday, March 5, 2024. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL

AMBER ARNOLD STATE JOURNAL

Aileen Kacvinsky, left, with Schuman Cheese in Madison, and Mirjana Curic-Bawden, with Novonesis in Milwaukee, judge yogurt, cow’s milk during the World Championship Cheese Contest at Monona Terrace in Madison.

AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL

Dean Sommer, with Center for Dairy Research in Madison, judges mozzarella during the World Championship Cheese Competition at Monona Terrace.

AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL

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Agri-View and Wisconsin State Journal

MADISON, Wis. – There were wheels of Swiss, blocks of Cheddar and bags of curds – some flavored with dill and garlic, others plain. Some judges on the opening day of the 2024 World Championship Cheese Contest graded washed-rind and smear-ripened goat-milk cheese, and yogurt made from cow’s milk and whey protein. One set of judges had a day filled with pasteurized-process cheese that included rectangular chunks of American cheese.