Let's Celebrate these Award-Winning Cheeses!

The world of cheese is truly a competitive place. With different taste, textures, and

origins, there are more than 1,800 different types of cheeses around the world. It is no wonder why there are many competitions that take place both internationally and nationally over the course of the entire year.

Perhaps the most prestigious of the cheese award events is the World Cheese Awards. According to the World Cheese Awards' official website, the World Cheese Awards is “a truly global cheese event [that] brings together cheesemakers, retailers, buyers, consumers and food commentators worldwide to judge nearly 4,000 cheeses from over 40 countries”. Judges work together to identify cheeses that are worthy of gold, silver or bronze awards. Cheeses’ rind, body, color texture, consistency, and most importantly, taste, are all considered when identifying an award-worthy cheese. Each team of judges nominates their favorite cheese as the “Super Gold”. Super Gold winners are considered the best cheeses in the entire world!

There are smaller cheese awards that occur across the globe. The United States

Championship Cheese Contest is hosted biennially by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association. Cheeses are evaluated by a team of skilled judges on their flavor, body and texture, salt, color, finish and packaging. Gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded to the cheeses with the highest scores. The American Cheese Society Awards is the biggest competition for American-made cheeses and showcases American cheesemakers and their talents, both in cheese making and commitment to food safety.

Each year, the Specialty Food Association holds the annual Sofi™ Awards in the United

States. The Sofi™ Awards have been held to recognize the best specialty foods since 1972. Winners are chosen through blind taste tests by a team of highly qualified judges. Winning a Sofi™ award isn’t just another trophy, but an award that differentiates a brands’ product from others and opens a doorway to valuable business opportunities.

Through every category there is always those select few that stand out from the crowd and emerge victorious. Keep reading to discover our favorite award-winning cheeses that have been proven by experts to be truly outstanding.

Dorothy's Creamery Comeback Cow

Photo by Dorothy's Cheese via their website.

Dorothy's Creamery describes Comeback Cow as "creamy with a kick. Mild yet complex. This rich and creamy cheese has a smooth, flower-shaped body and soft white mold exterior. A velvety milk taste is underlined by sweet and buttery flavors of mushrooms or truffles and almonds. Wild grasses and flowers flavored the milk, packing pungent flavor that keeps coming back—bite after bite. Comeback Cow is a tasteful, artisanal cheese best savored as part of your favorite cheese board, although it does lend itself to sandwiches and quiches if you’re after an oozy melt. Pair it with croissants, soft rolls, melons or grapes. It’s always ready for a party, enjoyed with a Bourgogne, Cabernet, or Médoc wine. Silky in texture and nutty, its whipped-cream."

Comeback Cow was awarded the Best American Soft Ripened Cheese at the 2019 US Championship cheese contest in Wisconsin. Comeback Cow has also won awards at the American Cheese Society awards, World Dairy Contest Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest, and the Specialty Food Association Sofi™ awards.

Cypress Grove Truffle Tremor®

Photo by Cypress Grove Cheese via their Instagram.

We're big truffle people at Curd is the Word 😁 " If you love Humboldt Fog and can’t get enough of truffles, this is the cheese for you. Like other soft-ripened cheeses, Truffle Tremor® has a bloomy rind that allows the cheese to ripen from the outside in. As Truffle Tremor® continues to ripen and mature, the creamline develops and the flavor intensifies — an ooey-gooey, ripe Truffle Tremor is not for the faint of heart." Truffle Tremor has one numerous awards, including Best of Class at the 2019 US Championship Cheese Contest and Super Gold at the 2014 World Cheese Awards. Discover the entire trophy case here!

Beecher's Flagship Reserve

Photo by Beecher's Handmade Cheese via their website.

Talk about a decorated cheese! Flagship Reserve is "made only on days when the milk composition is just right. The last curds on the table from these makes are used to produce Flagship Reserve truckles as it allows for slightly lower moisture, higher salt content and thus a richer taste and texture while maintaining a clean, creamy finish." Flagship is aged in cloth, which concentrates the rich flavors of the cheese. Flagship Reserve has won many awards, mostly notably a Gold medal at the 2022 World Championship Cheese Contest for the best natural-rinded cheddar and 1st place at the 2019 American Cheese Society awards in the cloth-wrapped cheddar category. View the entire list of awards on Beecher's website.

Fromagerie Germain Epoisses AOP

Époisses AOP is produced with the utmost respect of the original recipe. This cow's milk cheese has a beautiful orange rind washed with Marc de Bourgogne (a local grape spirit) and a traditional creamy center with an intense flavor. Its taste is balanced,

typical and fruity. Epoisses is a cow's milk cheese crowned “King of Fromages” by the French culinary author Brillat Savarin. This cheese has benefited from a Protected Designation of Origin, PDO, since 1996.

Époisses regularly receives national and global recognition, including a Super Gold Medal at the 2019-2020 World Cheese Awards for Best French Cheese Of The Competition.