Gruyère named the big cheese

A Swiss cheesemaker won out over a record number of competitors this week at the largest cheese, butter, and yogurt competition in the world. Michael Spycher of Mountain Dairy Fritzenhaus in Bern, Switzerland, became a two-time winner of the World Champion Cheese title with his Gourmino Le Gruyère AOP at the biennial World Championship Cheese Contest in Madison, Wis. The 55 judges from around the world tasted, sniffed, and inspected 3,667 entries from 26 nations. Spycher and his Gruyère also won in 2008.

How did the home team fare? Three cheeses from Wisconsin finished in the top 20: a smoked Gouda with cumin, a Gorgonzola, and a cheddar. A French sheep’s milk cheese called Esquirrou won the title in 2018.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Rob Holmes’ Labor Day report about a Chadian cheesemaker.