Madison hosts the finals of the World Championship Cheese Contest

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MADISON - The hottest ticket in Madison tonight is not for a UW basketball game – it’s for the finals of the World Championship Cheese Contest.

Organizers have opened the event to spectators for the first time. And a sell-out crowd of 400 is expected to watch the judges nibble on the world’s best cheeses, and decide which ones will win. They’ll also get to sample 15 of the top entries, and talk to the cheese-makers and the international judges. The face value of the ticket is $25. The three-day contest is held every two years.

It began on Monday with a record 2,500-plus entries in 82 categories of cheeses and butters. Semi-finals were held yesterday, and the Top-16 were chosen for tonight’s finals. Producers from Switzerland have won the Best-of-Show award in the last three contests. But Wisconsin outperforms all other states, winning 21 of 79 categories the last time the world finals were held two years ago.

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