Bergen, Norway—Atalanta is celebrating numerous awards at the World Cheese Awards this month. A record-breaking 3,500 cheeses from six continents entered the awards, which took place at Bergen’s Grieghallen in Norway on November 2, 2018. A panel of 230 experts from 29 countries judged the competition.
From our Dutch supplier Beemster, Beemster Classic was awarded Super Gold. Aged for 18 months, it is considered the quintessential Dutch cheese throughout Holland. The designation puts it in the company of only 78 cheeses considered the very best in the world.
Paradiso Reserve (called Beemster 30+ Oud in European markets) received a Gold Award. The rich, sweet Italian-style cheese is made from fresh North Holland cow’s milk that graze freely on the grasses of the Beemster Polder. Beemster Goat, crafted from the milk of goats raised by Beemster member farmers, also scored Gold. Royaal Grand Cru by Beemster, a full-bodied, robust cheese studded with crystals and aged for 12 months, won Silver. A Bronze Award went to Beemster XO, a firm, crumbly wheel renowned for its rich flavors of butterscotch and whiskey. Beemster XO is aged for more than two years.
“Along with the World Cheese Championships in Wisconsin, the World Cheese Awards are the most important cheese competition in the world,” says Marcel Vantuyn, Beemster’s Managing Director. “The awards are an endorsement of the hard work we do every day. It starts with how the farmers tend to their fields and their dairy cows, then continues to the unique process that our cheesemakers use to make our cheese. From beginning to end, we do everything in-house to make sure our cheese is perfect. It’s very nice to be recognized for our vertical integration, dedication, and commitment.”
From Italy, Perenzin Bufala al Glera won Super Gold, the World Class Award’s highest distinction. Bufala al Glera is crafted in Italy’s Veneto region with buffalo milk flavored with wine from Glera grapes.
Arrigoni Formaggi, a renowned cheesemaker in Northern Italy, also received a Super Gold for Erborinato, a rich blue cheese from Novara region with a rind coated in coffee. Arrigoni’s Taleggio DOP, a soft cheese with ancient origins, took home Gold.
Two more cheeses won Gold awards: Piave Vecchio Selezione Oro, a DOP protected cow’s milk cheese produced in the Dolomites area of Belluno, Veneto and aged for over a year; and Carpenedo Basajo, a creamy Italian blue cheese made from raw sheep’s milk and aged in Passito white wine.
Grana Padano Oro del Tempo, made by Agriform and aged for over 20 months, was awarded Silver in its category. (The same cheese won the gold medal at the regional contest Caseus Veneti.) Vento d’Estate, a cheese aged in oak barrels under a blanket of hay, also won Silver. Bronze awards went to Perenzin Montasio Stravecchio, a tangy, bright cow’s milk cheese, and Capra al Traminer, a goat’s milk cheese matured in Traminer grapes.
“The World Cheese Awards has become the “World Cup” for cheese and cheese producers. The variety of cheeses and the quality of the products that I was honored to judge were outstanding,” says Andrea Berti, Director of Business Development at Atalanta. “It was a great experience to be part of an extremely professional organization and I am proud of our suppliers that are recognized for their superior products!
I am looking forward to the next edition in Italy.”
Judges evaluated the rind and paste of each cheese, as well as its color, texture, consistency and most importantly, flavor. A truly global cheese event, the World Cheese Awards has been bringing together cheesemakers, retailers, buyers, cheese-lovers and food journalists worldwide for over three decades. The 2018 World Cheese Awards was part of a brand-new festival, Matnasjonen Norge, in partnership with HANEN, an organization promoting the best that the Norwegian countryside has to offer. Congratulations to the winners from around the world.
Source: Atalanta