STOUGHTON — Emmi Roth received five awards for their Wisconsin-made and Swiss-imported cheeses last week at the 2024 World Cheese Awards in Portugal, including two Gold awards for their Emmi Kaltbach Le Gruyère AOP and Emmi Le Gruyère AOP, hand-crafted in Switzerland.
Emmi Kaltbach Le Gruyère AOP matures peacefully under the watchful care of the Kaltbach Master Affineur in the cave. The mineral-rich air creates the perfect environment for transforming specially selected Le Gruyère wheels into wondrous depths of flavor. Each wheel is recognized instantly by the color of its rind — an unmistakable rustic brown patina — and its flavors of dried stone fruit, spice, black tea and hazelnuts with an earthy depth. The texture is smooth with a slight flake and pronounced crystallization.
Emmi Le Gruyère AOP is hand-selected from just 40 dairies with careful consideration by Emmi among more than 160 creameries in small villages throughout Switzerland, ensuring only the best Le Gruyère cheeses are sold under the Emmi brand. Aged a minimum of five months, Le Gruyère AOP slowly matures in the cave-like atmosphere of the Emmi cellars as each wheel is delicately turned, lightly brined and brushed. This brings out the inimitable flavor featuring notes of candied walnuts, dried fruit and spice.
Emmi and Roth Cheese also received Bronze awards for three cheeses.
Emmi Kaltbach Appenzeller owes its tangy flavor to the care with the secret, legendary herbal brine. Based on the strictest criteria, only the best wheels are selected and brought into the Kaltbach cave. The care by the cave master’s hand and the natural climate of the sandstone cave give the Appenzeller its unique Kaltbach aroma.
Roth Canela is an award-winning American Original cheese named after the Spanish word for “Cinnamon.” This Spanish-inspired, limited-production cheese is made with fresh, Wisconsin cow’s milk then hand-rubbed with a cinnamon and paprika blend to give it the signature reddish-orange rind and sweet flavor.
Roth Pavino is an American Original cheese from Roth cellars. Inspired by Swiss heritage and tradition of creating the world’s best alpine-style cheese, Pavino is crafted by award-winning cheesemakers and cured for at least nine months. It boasts a complex, yet balanced, flavor of nutty, sweet milk accompanied by an earthy depth.
“We are always proud of the work our cheesemakers and crew are doing, and getting recognized on an international stage makes us even more honored to represent these great brands,” said Tim Omer, president and managing director at Emmi Roth.
Submissions for the World Cheese Awards are judged on a single day by carefully composed teams of technical experts, buyers, retailers and food authors. The jurors work in teams of three and identify all the cheeses, which then get a gold, silver or bronze award.
Judges look at the rind and the body of the cheese, color, texture, consistency and above all, taste. Each of the teams then nominates an exceptional cheese as Super Gold from their table.
A full list of this year’s winners is available online at https://tinyurl.com/4uvspyk5.
Emmi Roth is an industry leader in providing the nation’s top specialty cheese. From making some of the most awarded cheeses in the U.S. to importing Switzerland’s most beloved cheeses, Emmi Roth works every day to create the world’s best. Emmi Roth has operations at five locations across Wisconsin and represents the top cheese brands in the U.S., including Athenos, Roth Cheese, Emmi USA, Cowgirl Creamery, and more. Visit emmiroth.com to learn more or find Emmi Roth on Facebook and LinkedIn.
