Here are the winners in the cheese competition at Royal Agricultural Winter Fair which runs in Toronto this week until Sunday.
Agropur and Parmalat, Canada’s two giant cheese producers, dominated the results with six wins apiece but relatively tiny Fifth Town Artisan Cheese and Glengarry Fine Cheese, with five and three wins each, garnered more than their share of honours.
Fromagerie Perron dominated the cheddar cheese judging. Quality Cheese had four wins including a first for its new Water Buffalo Mozzarella.
VARIETY CHEESE – 95 entries – Judges: Thierry Martin and Jean-Jacques Turgeon
GRAND CHAMPION: OKA L’Artisan ~ Agropur Fine Cheese
RESERVE CHAMPION: Cendré De Lune ~ Fromagerie 1860 DuVillage
HARD – PARMESAN, GANA, ROMANO, ETC ~ 1st – Extra Aged Lankaaster ~ Glengarry Fine Cheese ~ Wilma Klein Swormink, Marie-Benedicte Pretty, Margaret Peters-Morris, cheesemakers
PASTA, FILATA – BOCCONCHINI, MOZZARELLA, CACIOCAVALLO, PROVOLONE, CACIOTTA ~ 1st – Water Buffalo Mozzarella ~ Quality Cheese
FIRM – BRICK, COLBY, ETC ~ 1st – Black Diamond American Mozzarella~ Parmalat Canada
INTERIOR RIPENED – EDAM, GOUDA, ASIAGO ~ 1st – Lankaaster Medium~ Glengarry Fine Cheese ~ Wilma Klein Swormink, Marie-Benedicte Pretty, Margaret Peters-Morris, cheesemakers
SURFACE RIPENED – FONTINA, OKA, MUNSTER, ST PAULIN ~ 1st – Champfleury ~ Agropur Fine Cheese
MOLD RIPENED – BRIE, CAMEMBERT ~ 1st – Cendré De Lune ~ Fromagerie 1860 DuVillage
UNFLAVOURED FRESH CHEESE ~ 1st – Ricotta Cheese ~ Quality Cheese
FLAVOURED FRESH CHEESE ~ 1st – Délicreme Ail et Fines Herbes~ Agropur Fine Cheese
BLUE VEINED CHEESE ~ 1st – La Roche Noire ~ La Fromagerie Alexis de Portneuf
SWISS OR EMENTHAL CHEESE ~ 1st – OKA L`Artisan ~ Agropur Fine Cheese
FLAVOURED CHEESE ~ 1st – Flavoured Lankaaster Chive ~ Glengarry Fine Cheese ~ Wilma Klein Swormink, Marie-Benedicte Pretty, Margaret Peters-Morris, cheesemakers
OPEN CLASS ~ 1st – Bella Casara -Burrata Cheese ~ Quality Cheese
ANY CHEESE MADE WITH SHEEP’S MILK ~ 1st – Bonnie & Floyd ~ Fifth Town Artisan Cheese ~ Stephanie Diamant, cheesemaker
FETA _ 1st – 3 kg Black Diamond Feta in brine ~ Black Diamond
GOAT CHEESE – 29 entries – Judges: Thierry Martin and Jean-Jacques Turgeon
GRAND CHAMPION: Woolwich Dairy Elite Roasted Red Pepper ~ Woolwich Dairy
RESERVE CHAMPION: Premium Goat Milk Cheddar ~ Fifth Town Artisan Cheese ~ Stephanie Diamant, cheesemaker
HARD – PARMESAN, GRANA, ROMANO ~ 1st – Charlton ~ Thornloe Cheese
FIRM – CHEDDAR, MOZZARELLA, CAPRANO ~ 1st – Premium Goat Milk Cheddar ~ Fifth Town Artisan Cheese ~ Stephanie Diamant, cheesemaker
INTERIOR RIPENED – GOUDA, FRIULAN, MANCHEGO, ETC ~ 1st – Woolwich Dairy Goats Milk Feta ~ Woolwich Dairy
SURFACE RIPENED – OKA STYLE, ST PAULIN, TILST, ETC ~ 1st – Cape Vessey ~ Fifth Town Artisan Cheese ~ Stephanie Diamant, cheesemaker
MOLD RIPENED – BRIE, CAMEMBERT, TRE FRATELLO, ETC ~ 1st – Chevrita ~ Agropur Fine Cheese
UNFLAVOURED FRESH-CREAM CHEESE, GHAGE, QUARK, ETC ~ 1st – River’s Edge Chevre ~ River’s Edge Goat Dairy
FLAVOURED FRESH CHEESE ~ 1st – Woolwich Dairy Elite Roasted Red Pepper ~ Woolwich Dairy
BLUE VEINED CHEESE ~ 1st – Harley Goat Blue Cheese ~ Thornloe Cheese
FLAVOURED CHEESE – SMOKED, JALAPENO ~ 1st – Applewood Smoked Premium Goat Milk Cheddar ~ Fifth Town Artisan Cheese ~ Stephanie Diamant, cheesemaker
INNOVATION – MIXED MILK CHEESE ~ 1st – Doucerel ~ Agropur Fine Cheese
CHEDDAR CHEESE – 36 entries – Judges: Norm Matte and Gilles Sabourin
GRAND CHAMPION: Doyen ~ Fromagerie Perron ~ Stephane Marchand, cheesemaker.
RESERVE CHAMPION: 120th Anniversary Reserve ~ Fromagerie Perron ~ Stephane Marchand, cheesemaker.
THE SILVER TRIER AWARD/Highest aggregate score for cheddar cheese: Parmalat Canada
EXTRA MATURE CHEDDAR 24 MONTHS OR LONGER ~ 1st – Perron Doyen ~ Fromagerie Perron ~ Stephane Marchand, cheesemaker.
MATURE CHEDDAR – 12-24 MONTHS ~ 1st – 120th Anniversary Reserve ~ Fromagerie Perron ~ Stephane Marchand, cheesemaker.
MEDIUM CHEDDAR – 6-8 MONTHS ~ 1st – Medium Cheddar ~ Fromagerie Perron ~ Stephane Marchand, cheesemaker.
MILD CHEDDAR – 2-4 MONTHS ~ 1st – Balderson Mild ~ Parmalat Canada
EXTRA MILD CHEDDAR – 1-2 MONTHS ~ 1st – Balderson Extra Mild ~ Parmalat Canada
MARBLE CHEDDAR – ANY AGE ~ 1st – Balderson Marble ~ Parmalat Canada
STILTON SHAPED CHEDDAR – TWO COLOURED OR WHITE ~ 1st – Black Diamond Cheddar ~ Parmalat Canada
Complete results are posted at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair website.
