Anyone who follows cheese probably already knows this but this years American Cheese Society winner – and one of my all-time favorite cheeses – was Rogue River Blue from the Rogue Creamery in Central Point Oregon. It’s a seasonal, raw milk, blue wrapped in brandy-soaked grape leaves. It’s intense, creamy, and sweet. It’s one of the best cheeses – not just in the USA – but anywhere.
Cary and David, owners of Rogue Creamery. Congratulations!
Here’s the Rogue River Blue on the judging table. Sorry for the non-artisitc picture. I didn’t know it had won at that point:
One of the funny things about judging is that the winners aren’t announced for a few days so we have to keep it a secret. When Cary sat down next to me at a lunch I was terrified I’d say something by accident. “Dud-duh-duh, nice weather, eh?”
2nd Place went to Cowgirl Creamery for Red Hawk, a past Best of Show winner. Awesome washed-rind at the height of ripeness. They may hate me for posting this, but look at the excited Cowgirls!
3rd place was a tie with Sid Cook’s Cave-aged Mellage and Consider Bardwell’s Ruppert (ha! I mentioned their cheeses last year too. They actually have their own website now)
Congrats everyone!
Gordon ("Zola") Edgar 