And the BEST in Show is from Jasper Hill Farms…

No surprise (at least to us) that a Vermont cheesemaker was recently awarded the “Best In Show” in the American Cheese Society‘s (ACS) 2022 Judging & Competition. The winners were announced on July 21st, during their “Blazing the Trail for Cheese” 2022 conference.

Out of nearly 1,400 entries from across the USA, “Whitney, a wine-washed Raclette-style cheese from our own Jasper Hill Farms, located in Greensboro, Vermont, won this national competition.”

Raclette is a raw cow’s milk grilling cheese that is fruity, piquant, and quite creamy. Its roots are in Europe, specifically France and Switzerland, and it’s a great melting cheese that retains its flavor when heated.

Whitney is described by Jasper Hill as a “meltable mountain-style cheese in a rind washed with wine.” Pair Whitney with anything that might call for a melting cheese: potatoes, crunchy baguettes, anything grilled, or on a panini – are all great choices.

Jasper Hill also shared the Third Place – Best of Show award with Murray’s Cheese of Long Island, NY with a collaboration called Greensward, a soft-ripened, washed rind cheese.

Other Vermont cheesemakers were honored for their amazing cheeses at the conference including:

• Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Waitsfield, VT
• Cellars at Jasper Hill, Greensboro Bend, VT
• Grafton Village Cheese Company, Grafton, VT
• Maplebrook Farm, North Bennington, VT
• Spring Brook Farm Cheese, LLC, Reading, VT
• Sage Farm Goat Dairy, Stowe, VT
• Vermont Creamery, Websterville, VT

Highlights of the VERMONT winners:

Best of Show

First Place: Whitney (a Raclette-style cheese) from Jasper Hill Farms, Greensboro Bend, VT

Third Place: Greensward (a soft-ripened washed rind cheese) which was a collaboration of The Cellars at Jasper Hill of Greensboro, VT, and Murray’s Cheese of Long Island City, NY

CATEGORY AWARDS

Salted Butter with or without cultures – made from cow’s milk

• First Place: Salted Butter Solid from Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Waitsfield, VT
• Second Place: 83% Butter Fat Butter Quarters with Sea Salt from Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Waitsfield, VT
• Third Place: Cultured Butter with Sea Salt from Vermont Creamery, Websterville, VT

Unsalted Butter with or without cultures – made from cow’s milk

• First Place: Unsalted Butter from Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Waitsfield, VT
• Third Place: Unsalted 83% Butter Fat Butter Solid from Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Waitsfield, VT

Crème Fraiche and Sour Cream Products – made from cow’s milk

• Third Place: Sour Cream from Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Waitsfield, VT

Ricotta – made from cow’s milks

• Second Place: Ricotta Alta from Maplebrook Farm, North Bennington, VT

Aged Cheddar – aged 13 months through 23 months – all milks

• First Place: Extra Sharp Cheddar from Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Waitsfield, VT
• Third Place: Extra Sharp Cheddar from Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Waitsfield, VT

Cheddar – aged through 12 months – made from cow’s milk

• Second Place: Extra Sharp Cheddar from Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Waitsfield, VT
• Second Place: New York Extra Sharp Cheddar from Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Waitsfield, VT
• Third Place: Sharp Cheddar from Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Waitsfield, VT

Mature Cheddar – aged 48 or more months – all milks

• Second Place: 5-Year Cheddar from Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Waitsfield, VT

Cheddar wrapped in cloth, linen with a natural rind – aged through 12 months – all milks

• First Place: Clothbound Cheddar from Grafton Village Cheese Company, Grafton, VT

Sweet Cheddar- commonly made by including Lb. helveticus adjunct culture – all milks, all ages

• Third Place: White Oak Cheddar from Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Waitsfield, VT

Triple Crème – soft ripened / cream added – all milks

• Second Place: Sherry Gray from Cellars at Jasper Hill, Greensboro Bend, VT

Open Category – made from cow’s milk

• Second Place: Albans from Vermont Creamery, Websterville, VT

Burrata – Fresh mozzarella encasing a distinctly separate core made from softer curd and cream, or other soft cheese – all milks

• Second Place: Handmade Burrata from Maplebrook Farm, North Bennington, VT

Feta – made from cow’s milk

• Second Place: Whole Milk Feta from Maplebrook Farm, North Bennington, VT

Cheeses wrapped in bark, leaves or grass

• First Place: Harbison from Cellars at Jasper Hill, Greensboro Bend, VT
• Third Place: Winnimere from Cellars at Jasper Hill,Greensboro Bend, VT

Open Category: Made from cow’s milk

• First Place: Alpha Tolman from Cellars at Jasper Hill, Greensboro Bend, VT

Open Category: Made from goat’s milk

• Third Place: Bijou from Vermont Creamery, Websterville, VT

Fresh Rindless Goat’s Milk Cheese Aged 0 to 30 Days

• Third Place: Classic Goat Cheese Log from Vermont Creamery, Websterville, VT

Yogurt and Cultured Products with Flavor Added (Set yogurts, Greek-style, dips, etc.) – cow’s milk

• First Place: Triple Cream Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt from Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Waitsfield, VT
• Second Place: Vanilla Crème Fraîche from Vermont Creamery, Websterville, VT
• Third Place: Cilantro & Lime Sour Crème from Vermont Creamery, Websterville , VT
• Third Place: Fire-Roasted Onion & Chive Sour Crème from Vermont Creamery, Websterville, VT

Fresh Goat Cheese with sweet predominant flavor – aged under 30 days – 100% goat’s milk

• First Place: Clover Blossom Honey Goat Cheese Log from Vermont Creamery, Websterville, VT

Soft-Ripened Washed Rind

• Third Place: Willoughby from Cellars at Jasper Hill, Greensboro Bend, VT

Raclette-style – Aged over 45 days

• First Place: Whitney from Cellars at Jasper Hill, Greensboro Bend, VT (BEST IN SHOW)
• First Place: The Full Ver-monty from Spring Brook Farm Cheese, LLC, Reading, VT
• Third Place: Reading from Spring Brook Farm Cheese, LLC, Reading, VT

Open Category: Washed Rind Cheeses – made from goat’s milk

• Second Place: Lightning Knoll from Sage Farm Goat Dairy, Stowe, VT

Open Category: Washed Rind Cheeses – made from sheep’s milk

• First Place: Bear Hill from Grafton Village Cheese Company, Grafton, VT

Open Category: Washed Rind Cheeses – made from mixed, or other milks

• Second Place: Eligo from Cellars at Jasper Hill, Greensboro Bend, VT

Farmstead Category – Aged less than 60 days – all milks

• First Place: Snowball from Sage Farm Goat Dairy, Stowe, VT

Brick Muenster – made from cow’s milk

• Third Place: Muenster from Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Waitsfield, VT