WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CHEESE CONTEST WINNERS
MADISON - The following cheesemakers in Green and Lafayette counties (and northern Illinois) placed in the top three award categories at the 2012 World Championship Cheese Contest, judged this week in Madison.
BEST OF CLASS
- W & W Dairy, Monroe: 99.7 for queso fresco (fresh Hispanic cheese)
- Adam Buholzer, Klondike Cheese Co., Monroe: 99.6 for feta in brine
- Steve Stettler, Decatur Dairy, Inc., Brodhead: 99.6 for havarti
- Luke Buholzer, Klondike Cheese Co., Monroe: 99.4 for dill havarti
- Decatur Cheesemakers, Decatur Dairy, Inc., Brodhead: 99.3 for queso para fundir (melting cheese)
- Matt Erdley, Klondike Cheese Co., Monroe: 99.2 for Muenster
- Steve Webster, Klondike Cheese Co., Monroe: 98.95 for peppercorn feta in brine
- Brunkow Cheese, Darlington: 97.75 for Raw Milk Cheddar with Horseradish (cold-pack cheese spread)
SECOND AWARD
- Decatur Cheesemakers, Decatur Dairy, Inc., Brodhead: 99.35 for dill havarti
- Chad Duhai, Zimmerman Cheese, Inc., South Wayne: 99.2 for an Asadero wheel
- Kolb-Lena, Inc., Lena, Ill.: 99.1 for Alouette Baby Brie
- Neal Schwartz, Chalet Cheese Co-op, Monroe: 97.4 for a Baby Swiss wheel
THIRD AWARD
- Ron Bechtolt, Klondike Cheese Co., Monroe: 99.3 for dill havarti
- Kelly Longseth, Family Fresh Pack, Belleville: 99.15 for Wollersheim Winery White Cheddar
- Brian Mundt and Luis Aragon, Mexican Cheese Producers, Darlington: 98.95 for queso fresco wheel
- Walter Hartwig, Zimmerman Cheese, Inc., South Wayne: 98.05 for brick
- Kelly Longseth, Family Fresh Pack, Belleville: 98.05 for Kelly's Kitchen Cranberry Almond Cheese Spread
- Silvan Blum, Chalet Cheese Co-op, Monroe: 96.55 for a rindless Swiss wheel
So does the best queso fresco (fresh Hispanic cheese), a product of Monroe's W & W Dairy.
Almost 20 cheesemakers in Green and Lafayette counties took top honors in specific cheese categories at the competition, which ended Wednesday evening at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison. A Dutch Vermeer gouda won the 2012 championship, with cheeses from Switzerland judged as best-in-show runners-up.
A Wisconsin cheesemaker hasn't won best-in-show in more than 10 years, according to Jeanne Carpenter, founder of Wisconsin Cheese Originals.
But the state's cheesemakers still made a strong showing. Locally, Klondike Cheese Company won the most with four best-of-class prizes and one third prize.
"We've never won four firsts at the world (contest)," said Klondike's Adam Buholzer. "It really reflects on the whole company and our suppliers."
David Webster of W & W Dairy started making queso fresco in 2004 to fill a hungry niche in the market, Hispanics, who "eat a tremendous amount of cheese compared to other groups," he said. "They use it in every meal, all day long.
"An old partner of mine was actually Hispanic and he got us in to the Mexican market," Webster said. He now runs W & W with Kevin Wyss and James Curran, with cheesemakers Wyatt Webster and Kurt and Craig Wyss overseeing production.
What makes their queso fresco different is "all-natural whole milk," he said, with no added oils to cheapen the quality. The cheese holds its shape at high temperatures, he added, making it good for burritos.
Buholzer also credits high-quality milk for his award-winning feta. Klondike sources milk from Wisconsin dairies in about a 45-mile radius.
"We got into feta in the early- to mid-'80s," he said. "We feel like we've got a great recipe."
Buholzer says the trick to making a tangy feta that's crumbly, not mushy, is a low pH level. Most feta has a pH of 4.4 to 4.6. (Muenster, by comparison, usually comes in at 5.2 to 5.3).
Tuning in on the right pH levels is all about consistency, and Klondike employees bring it with an overall "quality mindset."
"We've got a great group of employees," Buholzer said.