GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Wisconsin has a 50/50 chance of having a US Champion Cheese named Thursday night.
10 of the 20 finalists for the Grand Champion cheese come from the Badger State.
Lambeau Field is really the land of the Cheese Heads this week as the US Championship Cheese Contest wraps up.
Chief Judge Emeritus Bill Schlinsag has 36 years of cheese judging experience. He says judges have to use many senses to determine the best cheese, but they are not there to chow down.
“Look at it first, and then smell it. Then they will feel it, see if it is soft or hard. They will put a sample in their mouth to let it go over their taste buds, and then finally they will spit it out,” Schlinsag says. “They don’t eat any cheese, if they did that, one would contaminate the next one that they come to.”
He says they feel, smell, chew and spit out the cheese to determine the winner of each category.
“Flavor by far is the most important thing, then the body and the texture of the cheese.”
He says the goal is to make sure that flavors don’t mix together, and to do that, judges cleanse their pallets with either grapes, apples or something to drink.
In the end, one King Cheese is named.
“They are looking for that blue ribbon, first place grand champion, that’s the marketing too.” A cash prize is also awarded to the winner.
That winner will be announced Thursday night at the KI Convention Center.
Finalist includes a Cheddar from Door Artisan Cheese in Egg Harbor and a Gorgonzola from Great Lakes Cheese in Seymour.
