Grafton Village Cheese Wins Three American Cheese Society Awards

Aug. 6, 2012 - PRLog -- Grafton, Vermont -- The cheesemaking team at Grafton Village Cheese, makers of handcrafted specialty cheeses in Grafton, Vermont, were awarded three medals at the annual American Cheese Society Awards last week in Raleigh, NC.  All awards were given to cheeses in the company’s Cave Aged line.

The American Cheese Society (ACS) is the leading organization supporting the understanding, appreciation, and promotion of farmstead, artisan and specialty cheeses produced in the Americas.  Since its founding in 1983, ACS hosts the foremost annual educational conference and world-renowned cheese judging and competition, which culminates in the Festival of Cheese, a public event regularly featuring over 1,400 competition entries from throughout the Americas.

At this year’s competition, which was held on Friday, August 3 in Raleigh, NC, Grafton Village took home a first place ribbon for Bismark in the Aged Sheep’s Milk category; a second place ribbon for Eweden Apple Pie in the Marinated Sheep’s Milk Cheese category and a third place ribbon for Bear Hill in the Open Sheep Milk Cheese category.

Bismark, named for a legendary and majestic Vermont ram from the late 19th century, starts tender, tangy and sweet and builds to a creamy, hazelnut finish. It grows increasingly complex with age and is aged for a minimum of three months. Eweden Apple Pie is a sheep and cow original cheese, spiced with cinnamon, ginger, clove and nutmeg, then marinated in Eden Ice Cider (West Charleston, Vt.). This smooth and creamy cheese has a pleasing dairy tang and aromatic spicing. Bear Hill, named for the bluff overlooking Grafton Village, is a washed-rind alpine style cheese, made with 100% sheep milk. Its flavor is gently fruity and nutty, with a smooth, milky mouthfeel.

Grafton Village’s Cave Aged Line was developed in 2011, taking Grafton beyond its roots in Vermont Cheddar cheese. These creations are carefully matured in Grafton's cave aging facility in the heart of Grafton Village. These small-batch cheeses include cow's milk, sheep's milk and mixed milk cheeses. The line is primarily found in specialty cheese shops and is ever evolving.

Bismark is currently available for sale in Grafton Village Cheese’s two retail stores in Grafton and Brattleboro, Vermont as well as in specialty cheese shops in the Northeast. Eweden Apple Pie and Bear Hill will be available this Fall. A special ACS Winners Gift featuring all three of the winning cheeses will be offered in Grafton Village Cheese’s Fall catalog and on its website, available in early October.

For more information about Grafton Village Cheese visit graftonvillagecheese.com.

About Grafton Village Cheese
Grafton Village Cheese, located in Grafton, Vermont, handcrafts artisanal specialty cheese. The company was founded in 1892 as the Grafton Cooperative Cheese Company, which converted surplus milk from local dairy farmers into cheese. Years later, a fire destroyed the original factory. When the Windham Foundation restored the company in the mid 1960s, a new era for the town was born. Today, quality and taste continue to serve as the hallmark of Grafton Cheese. Grafton Village cheddars are sold under the Grafton Village and the Tavern Select brands, and the Cave Aged line featuring small-batch specialty cheeses. As part of the nonprofit Windham Foundation, much of Grafton Cheese’s annual earned income funds the Foundation’s charitable programs. More information on Grafton Village Cheese Company can be found online at graftonvillagecheese.com.

About the Windham Foundation
Headquartered in Grafton, Vermont, the Windham Foundation is an operating foundation engaged in philanthropic, charitable and educational activities. Since its inception in 1963, its mission is to promote the vitality of Grafton and Vermont’s rural communities through its philanthropic and educational programs and its subsidiaries whose operations contribute to these endeavors. The Foundation is the owner of Grafton Village Cheese Co., the Grafton Inn and the Retreat Farm.