Wisconsin Cheese Makers Make the Dairy State Proud
Friday, March 10th, 2017 -- 9:05 AM
(Wisconsin Ag Connection) -Another Wisconsin dairy plant has claimed the title of being the nation's top cheesemaker.On Thursday, a black pepper BellaVitano entry submitted by Sartori Company in Antigo was named the winning product at this week's U.S. Championship Cheese Contest. With an impressive score of 99.02 out of 100, Sartori's winning flavored hard cheese was crafted by Mike Matucheski. This is the second time Sartori Company has won the coveted USCCC title. In 2009, they took the top prize with its SarVecchio Parmesan.
Meanwhile, the first runner-up in this year's contest was a Cheddar cheese entry made by Terry Lensmire of Agropur in Weyauwega. Marieke Gouda Belegen, made by the Marieke Gouda Team in Thorp, was the second runner-up. In all, Wisconsin cheese manufacturers submitted 14 of the top 20 entries in this year's event, which consisted of a record-setting 2,303 cheeses from 33 states. The state also earned 58 gold medals out of 101 classes judged. Vermont cheesemakers came in second with seven golds, while New York placed third in the gold medal count with six.
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