The fourth World Champion Cheese title, and the third consecutive one, has gone to a little mountain creamery in Switzerland.
Gourmino cheese is made in Bern, Switzerland, by Michael Spycher at Mountain Dairy Fritzenhaus. The river that runs beside the creamery is the inspiration for his Hornbacher cheese. It beat out 3,302 other submissions with a score of 98.98 out of 100.
Joe Salonia of Gourmino was there in Madison, Wisconsin on Thursday when the winner was announced. He explains that the cheese is crafted using milk from local, small farmers. “There are nine or ten dairy farmers within five or six kilometers who will deliver fresh, raw, beautiful Swiss cows milk twice a day.”
The Area of Protection (AOP) contains stringent regulations, according to Salonia, which affect local Swiss farmers. They still need to spend time outside, even in the dead of winter. The cows may eat grass or hay, with a little grain or snack every now and again, but silage—preserved hay—never allowed since it would induce gas bubbles, which would ruin the lengthy ripening process of raw milk cheese.
The majority of the cows milked by the local farmers are Holsteins or Red Fleckviehs, a cross of Simmental and Red Holsteins, according to Salonia.
Four world championships have been won by Michael Spycher’s creamery, with the latest three being consecutive.
On a biannual basis, the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association holds the World Championship Cheese Contest.
