GREENSBORO — Jasper Hill Farm’s Winnimere cheese has been named best in show at the American Cheese Society’s annual competition in Louisville, Kentucky, the nation’s premier cheese judging event.
Winnimere is a seasonal, bark-wrapped, washed-rind cheese crafted from raw winter cow’s milk. Wrapped in strips of spruce bark, it is aged to a spoonably soft texture with a rich, woodsy flavor.
The Greensboro farm collected several other ribbons at the competition.
Moses Sleeper and Willoughby each took first place, Alpha Tolman placed third, and Murray’s Cheese Greensward, made by Jasper Hill, finished second. A collaboration between Jasper Hill and Cabot Creamery Cooperative of Waitsfield, the Cabot Clothbound Black Label, also earned first place.
Overall, Vermont cheesemakers brought home 54 awards across 15 producers at the competition, according to the Vermont Cheese Council, a nonprofit supporting the state’s cheesemaking community. The American Cheese Society has hosted the competition since 1983.
The Cheese Council said its entry fee reimbursement program helped encourage Vermont participation. The program covers entry fees up to a certain amount to support cheesemakers in showcasing their products at the national level.
