In news that will delight fromage fiends and Emmental enthusiasts across the country, a Swiss cheese made by Michael Spycher has been named the best in the world at the annual World Cheese Championships. It is the fourth time that the cheesemaker from Canton Bern has earned the top accolade.
Attracting competitors from 25 nations around the world, the World Cheese Championship is officially the largest competition of its kind. The annual event sees a team of 53 expert judges evaluate 3.302 cheeses of 142 different types by their flavour, smell, texture and look among other things.
Along with 84 different medals for different types of cheese, 20 of the greatest Goudas and world-beating Bries are chosen to compete in the “world championship.” Each of the finalists was given an overall rating out of 100 by the judges.
For 2024, Hornbacher from Canton Bern in Switzerland took the title of the best cheese in the world. The cheese, created by Michael Spycher at the Mountain Dairy in Fritzenhaus, managed a grand score of 98,976 out of 100.
The winner is described by its creators as a raw milk cheese with a creamy, slightly crumbly texture and a baked potato, roasted nut, umami, caramel and onion-like flavour. Spycher has been making Hornbacher for 25 years but only started to sell it widely in 2014 at the request of local customers who fell in love with the cheese.
2024 is the fourth time that Spycher has won the title, having taken the top spot for his Gruyère cheese in 2008, 2020 and 2022. “I learned the cheesemaking trade when I was very young...Personally, I often trust my gut feeling and experience. Both develop over the years and through exchanges with older, like-minded people who share my passion,” he wrote on his website.
Second place in the world championship was taken by Artikaas Vintage Lot 18, a Dutch cheese made in Heerenveen, while bronze was taken by a cheese from the Farm at Doe Run in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. To find out which other cheeses won awards, check out the official website.