Movies have their Oscars, music has its WMA, and for cheese, it's all about the World Cheese Awards. Held at the International Convention Centre Wales in Newport, the 34th edition of this prestigious competition rounded up some of the best cheese producers in the world, who showcased jewels in their dairy crown, hoping to make it straight to the top and be declared the champion.
Credits: World Cheese Awards
The line-up of 250 international judges was tasked to blind-taste 4,434 cheeses from 42 countries. The cheeses were evaluated on the count of their appearance, aroma, texture, and of course, taste, with the maximum score being 35. Each of the 98 separate tables was assigned about 50 cheeses, and the judges (usually a pair of them) at each table chose the best from their bundle. That delicacy was awarded Super Gold status and went to the next round.
There, the number was trimmed down to the final 16.
SUPER GOLD Top 16 cheeses:
🇨🇠Interprofession du Gruyère - Le Gruyère AOP surchoix
🇮🇹 De' Magi - Gorgonzola Dolce DOP
🇳🇱 De Fryske - Âlde Fryske
🇫🇷 Prolactine France - Grosse Tomme de Bufflonne Cave Jacobine
🇫🇷 Prolactine France - Tomme de chèvre Cave Jacobine
🇪🇸 Quesería Artesanal Los Payuelos - Pata de Mulo Curado
🇺🇸 Murray's Cheese - Greensward
🇬🇧 Ticklemore Cheese - Devon Blue
🇫🇷 Prolactine France - Grosse Tomme de chèvre Cave Rousseau
🇬🇧 Village Maid Cheese - Spenwood
🇬🇧 Norton and Yarrow - Cheese Sinodun Hill
🇬🇧 Trethowan's Dairy Ltd - Gorwydd Caerphilly
🇩🇪 Rohmilchkäserei Backensholz GmbH & Co. KG - Großer Deichkäse 12 Monate
🇮🇹 F.LLI PETRUCCI SRL - MA-TRU' Pecorino Amatriciano
🇮🇹 Rocca Toscana Formaggi S.R.L. - L’Ambra di Talamello, pecorino stagionato in fosse arenarie a Talamello
🇧🇪 Little Cheese Farm - Gentenaer
These Super Gold Top 16 cheeses were re-judged by the International Super Jury, which finally decided that the best cheese of 2022 is...
Le Gruyère AOP surchoix!
The best cheese of 2022 - Le Gruyère AOP surchoix Credits: World Cheese Awards
Le Gruyère AOP surchoix was produced by Swiss cheesemaker Vorderfultigen in association with refiner Gourmino. The judges described it as a "really perfect handcrafted cheese, smooth in your mouth and melting on your tongue."
Gorgonzola Dolce DOP made by the Italian producer De’ Magi came in second, and the rest of the Top 16 included great examples of cheese perfection, such as Grosse Tomme from Prolactine France, Dutch Âlde Fryske and Devon Blue from Ticklemore Cheese.
Credits: TasteAtlas
There's an old saying: "When you're at the top, everybody wants a piece of you." Well, the same applies to the world of cheese. So if you'd like to try the Le Gruyère AOP surchoix or any other Super Gold winner, we advise you to order them as soon as possible. They are usually made as limited editions, so it's a matter of time before they go out of stock.
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View 1354 cheeses of the world
