Wisconsin company wins US Championship Cheese Contest

GREEN BAY — A Wisconsin company can lay claim to having the best cheese in America.

The Sartori company in Antigo won the title at this year's U.S. Championship Cheese Contest with its Sartori Reserve Black Pepper BellaVitano, by master cheesemaker Mike Matucheski.

The U.S. championship is considered the largest technical cheese, butter and yogurt competition in the country. Sartori also won the title in 2009.

Wisconsin dominated the event, which was held this week in Green Bay and was organized by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association. A cheddar from Weyauwega and a gouda from Thorp were first and second runners-up. Cheesemakers from the state also won 160 of 303 class awards.

There were a record-high 2,303 entries in this year's competition.