Swiss Gruyère wins World Cheese Championship in the US
Swiss cheeses, not just Gruyère, distinguished themselves in many categories
Keystone
A Swiss cheesemaker was crowned champion at the biennial World Championship Cheese Contest held in Madison, Wisconsin.
This content was published on
1 minute
SDA-Keystone/ac
Michael Spycher of Mountain Dairy Fritzenhaus in the Swiss canton of Bern clinched the top prize on Thursday. The judges scored his creation, a Gourmino Le Gruyère AOP cheese, 98.81 points out of a maximum of 100 in the final round. This is Spycher’s second title as the maker of the world’s best cheese. He first clinched the title in 2008.
External Content
Second place was also taken by a Swiss cheesemaker from the northeastern Swiss canton of St Gallen, for a Gallus Grand Cru cheese. The third spot went to a Gouda cheese from the Netherlands.
The jury had to assess the merits of 3,667 cheeses in more than 100 categories. The 20 best cheeses from all categories made it to the final. Swiss cheeses distinguished themselves in many categories, winning a total of seven gold, ten silver and seven bronze medals.
Last year was good for Swiss cheese exports. In total, 75,877 tonnes of cheese were exported in 2019, an increase of 4.5% on the previous year, for a value of CHF667.6 million ($693 million). Over four-fifths of this went to European countries. Germany represented the destination for a good half of Swiss cheese exports; France and Italy were next biggest markets.
More
More
Cheese exposed to hip-hop tastes better, finds Swiss experiment
This content was published on
A quirky experiment that exposed Swiss cheese to different kinds of music found that hip-hop made it taste the best.
Is reforming the Swiss pension system still possible, and if so, how?
Solutions still need to be found to meet the challenge of an ageing population and to improve the pensions of low-paid workers, the majority of whom are women.
Swiss to reduce administrative burden on farms from 2026
This content was published on
From 2026, the number of inspections of farms is to be reduced, without any loss of quality, said economics minister Guy Parmelin.
Swiss insurance boss proposes Singapore-style healthcare system
This content was published on
CEO of Swiss health insurer Sanitas has said that healthcare costs could be reduced if Switzerland were to follow the Singapore model.
Swiss minister talks crime and security in visit to the Netherlands
This content was published on
Swiss justice minister Beat Jans spent two days in the Netherlands discussing security, police cooperation and justice with international bodies.
Study finds more heavy metal detected in Swiss grassland
This content was published on
Copper and zinc can be expected to accumulate in the soil, particularly if farmyard manure is used for several years and is greater than the amount of nutrients absorbed by the grass. This was announced by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) on Friday. The findings are based on the results of the seventh National Soil Monitoring of Switzerland (Nabo).
Lilo Baur wins Swiss Grand Prix for performing arts
This content was published on
The Swiss actress and theatre director Lilo Baur has received this year's Swiss Grand Prix for Performing Arts, also known as the Hans Reinhart Ring.
Court rules al-Qaeda supporter can stay in Switzerland
This content was published on
A Kurdish supporter of the Islamist terrorist network al-Qaeda can stay in Switzerland, the Federal Administrative Court has ruled. It has withdrawn the annulment of the man’s provisional admission.
This content was published on
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has closed criminal proceedings relating to the Swiss owners affected by the Volkswagen “Dieselgate” emissions scandal.
This content was published on
The employment outlook in Switzerland will remain stable towards the end of 2024, according to the KOF Swiss Economic Institute at ETH Zurich.
Swiss woman accuses Donald Trump of sexual assault
This content was published on
A former Miss Switzerland candidate has accused Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her in New York in 1993. The US Republican candidate’s campaign team has denied the accusations.
This content was published on
swissinfo.ch visited a dairy farm and cheese dairy in Ursenbach in the heart of the Emmental valley, where cheese making began in the Middle Ages. This is how authentic Emmentaler has to be made in order to receive the official AOC stamp of origin. (Julie Hunt, swissinfo.ch)
Rare 1875 vintage Swiss cheeses ‘good enough to eat’
This content was published on
“They have survived everything,” said Jean-Jacques Zufferey, who lives in Grimentz in the French speaking canton of Valais. “Dust mites, rodents and heat waves.” His day job is head of the livestock department at the cantonal authority, but Zufferey also has an unusual passion – he collects old and rare cheeses. He currently has 72…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.