The occasion this year took place in Newport, Wales. It was originally scheduled to take place in Kyiv, Ukraine, but due to the Russian invasion, the location was changed.
There is certain to be excitement in the air when 4,434 cheeses from 42 different nations are brought together in one room to determine which is the best. Unavoidably, there is also an extremely, really strong stench.
On Wednesday, 250 international judges sniffed, probed, and chomped their way along tables heaving with cheese to pick which should win the title at the 2022 edition of the World Cheese Awards. It was a heady and nearly intoxicating mixture of ripening dairy produce and friendly competition.
A group of senior judges ultimately decided on this year’s winner, a Swiss Gruyère, after narrowing the competition first to 98 “super gold” champions and then to a final 16.
The Le Gruyère AOP surchoix from Switzerland’s Vorderfultigen and affineur (refiner) Gourmino was praised by the judges as a “very delicate, hand-crafted cheese” that melts on the tongue and has overtones of herbs, fruits, and leather.
The gruyère is a ripened cheese created from raw cow’s milk that has a minor crumbly texture.
