cheese-wire.com

A Parmesan from Wisconsin has beaten off more than 1,300 rivals to take the title of America’s Best at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest.

SarVecchio Parmesan, described as having a mellow caramel flavour with a crunchy crystal texture, was crowned the winner at the biennial cheese-off in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The cheese was selected after a gruelling two-round selection protest which saw 24 judges, dressed in white overalls, sample produce from across the United States.

In second place was a goat cheese from Oregon and in third a medium cheddar from New York.

SarVecchio’s victory marked a homecoming for Wisconsin, which styles itself as the heartland of American cheesemaking.

This year’s contest was held in Lambeau Field, home of the state’s leading football team, the Greenbay Packers. Packer fans are often referred to as “cheeseheads” and wear giant cheese hats.

Wisconsin cheeses have taken gold at 11 of 15 contests since the event was first staged in 1981.

John Umhoefer, executive director of the Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association said this year’s event was a landmark in U.S. history.

“There’s never been so many cheeses in one place at one time — ever,” he said, according to the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel.

See the full results of the cheese contest here