Again?? Yes, unbelievably, again. For the fifth time, a Jasper Hill Farm cheese was deemed Best of Show at the American Cheese Society’s annual judging. What’s more, the winning cheese is a two-time champion, finishing first in 2013 as well. This year, it prevailed over more than 1,600 entries, seducing the judges who elevated it over all the other category winners. “This particular batch was one of the best cheeses I’ve ever eaten in my life,” said the creamery owner after the awards ceremony in Louisville last week.
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One of the trends I’ve spotted in American cheeses recently is the growing use of beer to wash cheeses. You have probably tasted Epoisses, the Burgundian cheese brushed with marc de Bourgogne (grape-pomace brandy), and Spain’s Murcia al Vino (also marketed as Drunken Goat), which is steeped in red wine. Oregon’s Rogue River Blue ages in grape leaves soaked in pear brandy. And then there’s the irresistible Tome d’Aquitaine (aka Clisson), a French beauty bathed twice: first with Muscadet, then with Sauternes.
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