Wisconsin's Award-Winning Cheese: Where to Tour and Taste
If you know anything about Wisconsin, you know we’re famous for our cheese. With over 600 varieties made here, a great place to start is by exploring some of the tastiest award-winning varieties available. Read on to discover a handful of the world-renowned cheeses special to Wisconsin and where to try them.
Uplands Cheese – Dodgeville
Uplands Cheese in Dodgeville makes only two cheeses, but their focused efforts have earned them the most-awarded cheese in American History. Their creamy, spreadable Pleasant Ridge Reserve is only made from May through October when their cows are eating fresh grass, herbs and wildflowers from the pastures.
Order online, stop in at Schurman’s Cheese in Dodgeville or at a number of markets in Madison and Milwaukee that carry these special cheeses. After just one bite you'll see for yourself why Pleasant Ridge Reserve has won Best of Show in the American Cheese Society’s annual competition three times.
Hook’s Cheese Company - Mineral Point
Also located in Wisconsin’s Driftless Region, Julie and Tony Hook have been making award-winning cheeses for over 35 years. Their Colby cheese has won first in the World Cheese Championship and Julie is the only female cheesemaker who has received this prestigious award.
Visit their Mineral Point factory which offers more than 50 cheeses including 20-year-aged cheddar or stop by their booth at the Dane County Farmers’ Market on Saturdays throughout the summer.
Alp & Dell Cheese Store (Emmi Roth Cheese Factory) - Monroe
Take a trip to Alp & Dell Cheese Store in Monroe to discover another popular variety of Wisconsin cheese that’s won multiple awards.
The most recent American cheesemaker to win the World Championship Cheese Contest, Emmi Roth, produces cheese here and also imports certain Swiss varieties. Using traditional copper vats and local Wisconsin milk, their popular products include the award-winning Alpine-style Grand Cru Surchoix (an aged, washed-rine cheese with a firm texture and notes of caramel, fruit and mushroom), Buttermilk Bleu, Havarti and more.
Marieke Gouda – Thorp
Great cheese starts with great milk, and the cows at Marieke Gouda live in a stall-free barn called the “Cow Spa,” complete with rotating back scratchers.
Milk from these happy cows becomes cheese the same day it’s produced using traditional Dutch methods that have won the farmstead over 200 awards. Visit the farm in Thorp, east of Eau Claire, to tour the milking parlor, peek in the creamery and indulge in freshly fried cheese curds or Gouda mac n’ cheese from Cafe DUTCHess.
Goat and Sheep Milk Cheeses
LaClare Farms near Malone specializes in goat’s milk cheeses and is one of the country's only 100 %-domestically produced goat cheese brands. Visit the farm to meet the goats and taste their award winners such as the Evalon, an aged variety with a rich, nutty flavor.
Hidden Springs Creamery in Westby is a small sheep farmstead in Wisconsin’s Driftless Region. Try their honey lavender cheese that won Best of Class in the 2023 US Cheese Championship.
Tours and Tastings
Cheese tours and tastings are a great way to sample as many of Wisconsin’s delicious cheeses as possible while making memories with family and friends.
Follow the Driftless Wisconsin Wine and Cheese Trail for a delicious road trip that includes stops at Cedar Grove, Carr Valley and Arena Cheese.
In the warmer months, take a tasty ride on the Door County Trolley for a wine, chocolate and artisan cheese tour.
If you only have a few days, consider bringing your group to Green County Cheese Days in mid-September. Two days of cheese-inspired fun culminate in a cow parade through downtown Monroe.
Still hungry? Discover more places to visit on your cheese-tasting tour throughout Wisconsin.
