Say cheese: World Championship Cheese Contest announces 3 cheeses from Wisconsin in Top 20

MADISON -- Out of 3,667 entries, three Wisconsin cheeses have made the Top 20 in the world. The 2020 World Champion Cheese will be named Thursday in Madison.

Gouda Smoked Cumin from Marieke Gouda in Throp, Roth Gorgonzola from Emmi Roth in Seymour and a Traditional Waxed Cheddar, Sharp to Aged from Maple Leaf Cheesemakers in Monroe have a chance at being the cheese that stands alone at the top.

Other cheeses in the Top 20 hail from cheese makers in California, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Quebec, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland.

The 2020 World Champion Cheese will be named on Thursday at Cheese Champion, the Contest’s crowning event, at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison. The event is sold out, but the announcement can be viewed live on their website.

The World Championship Cheese Contest, initiated in 1957, is the largest technical cheese, butter, yogurt, and dry dairy ingredient competition in the world. For more information, including complete results for all entry classes, visit their website.