Grafton Village Cheese, a business of the nonprofit Windham Foundation in Grafton, Vt, was awarded five ribbons at the 31st annual American Cheese Society (ACS) Awards on July 31 in Sacramento, Calif. Two days prior to ACS, the company took home seven awards and two trophies at the International Cheese Awards (ICA) in England, including the trophy for Best USA Cheese. Grafton Village Cheese produces handmade aged cheddar and specialty cheese using milk from small family farms, with the proceeds supporting the charitable efforts of the Windham Foundation.
ACS Awards for Grafton Cheese
·First for Queen of Quality Clothbound Cheddar in theCheddar Wrapped in Cloth, Linen, Aged Over 12 Months
·First for Shepsog in the American OriginalsOriginal Recipe / Open Category
·Second for Bull Hill in the Open Washed Rind Cheeses category
·Third for 2 Year Aged Cheddar in the Mature Cheddar, Aged Over 24 and up to 48 Months category
·Third for Bear Hill in the Open Washed Rind Cheeses category
The American Cheese Society (ACS) is a not-for-profit trade organization founded in 1983 to support the North American artisan and specialty cheese industry. ACS provides advocacy, education, business development, and networking opportunities for members of the cheese industry, while striving to continually raise the quality and availability of cheese in North America. This year’sACS Judging and Competition, which was announced on July 31, had 248 companies from North America submitting 1,685 different cheeses. Sixteen Vermont cheesemakers took home 36 awards, including Best of Show for Farms for City Kids/Spring Brook Farm's Tarentaise Reserve.
International Cheese Awards for Grafton Cheese
·Best USA Cheese, Queen of Quality Clothbound Cheddar, Reefer 90s Trophy
·Best Ewe's Milk Cheese, Shepsog, National Sheep Association Trophy
·Gold for Queen of Quality Clothbound, USA Cheddar Cheese, Mature
·Gold for Shepsog, Silver for Bismark and Bronze for Bull Hill for USA Sheep Cheese (swept category)
·Gold for Duet and Silver for Vermont Leyden for USA Cheese with Additives
The 117th annual International Cheese Awards were held in Nantwich, England on July 29. This year's competition featured a record-breaking 4,443 entries from around the world.
"Taking home 14 awards in the past week is truly amazing for all of us at Grafton Cheese," said Grafton's cheese artisan Dane Huebner. "What's best is that both our traditional cheddars and our Cave Aged line were recognized in the past week. Our cheesemaking team is top notch and we're proud that they have been recognized again on such a global scale."
About the Winning Cheeses for Grafton
Grafton'sQueen of QualityVermont Clothbound Cheddar, is a classic milled curd cow’s milk cheddar using milk from a single-source grass-fed herd, wrapped in cheesecloth while it ages slowly in Grafton’s own aging caves for a minimum of six months. The milk source is from Spring Brook Farm in Reading, Vt. Grafton Clothbound delivers a very bold cheese with both nut and mushroom notes.Shepsogcombines local sheep and cows' milk, which is then cave-aged for at least five months. Complex and earthy, its butter-yellow semi-firm paste is protected by a velvety rind of white and gray molds.BearHill, named for the bluff overlooking Grafton Village, is a washed-rind alpine style cheese, made with 100% sheep milk. Its flavor is gently fruity and nutty, with a smooth, milky mouthfeel.Its "cousin"Bull Hillis a similar cheese to Bear Hill, but has a taste that is meatier,beefy and brothy.Grafton's most award-winning cheese, boasting 14 awards,2 Year Cheddarhas a bold flavor profile with tangy, lactic notes and hints of dry hay and brown butter. A versatile cheese, 2 Year Aged Cheddar is perfect for a cheese board or for melting.Vermont Leydenis a cow’s milk cheese that is aged a minimum of two months in Grafton’s aging caves. Leyden has a big buttery flavor and texture that is brightened with the warmth of cumin seeds.Grafton Duetis a unique cheese that features two layers of Grafton1 Year Aged Cheddar flanking one tangy layer of St. Pete Select Blue Cheese.Bismarkis a sheep's milk cheese that grows more complex with age. Aged for a minimum of three months, Bismark starts tender, tangy and sweet and builds to a creamy, hazelnut finish.
About Grafton Village Cheese
Grafton Village Cheese of Grafton was founded in 1892 as the Grafton Cooperative Cheese Company, which converted surplus milk from local dairy farmers into cheese. Today, Grafton Cheese makes aged cheddar and specialty cheeses by hand that are recognized for its quality and taste on a worldwide scale. The company produces two Grafton branded lines in Grafton and in Brattleboro, Vt. using milk from small family farms: the Grafton Village line of aged cheddars and the Cave Aged line of specialty cheeses. Grafton Cheese is a mission driven business of the nonprofit Windham Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting Vermont’s rural communities. More on Grafton Cheese can be found at GraftonVillageCheese.com, Twitter and Instagram @graftoncheese and Facebook/graftonvillagecheese.
About the Windham Foundation
Headquartered in Grafton, Vermont, theWindham Foundationis an operating foundation engaged in philanthropic, charitable and educational activities. Since its inception in 1963, its mission is to promote the vitality of Grafton and Vermont’s rural communities through its philanthropic and educational programs and its subsidiaries whose operations contribute to these endeavors. The Foundation is the owner of Grafton Village Cheese Co., the Grafton Inn and the Retreat Farm.