Jasper Hill Farm’s Winnimere wins Best in Show again

Jasper Hill Farm’s Winnimere was named Best of Show at the 2026 American Cheese Society competition in Louisville, giving the Vermont creamery another top honor at an event that drew more than 1,600 entries. The win also underscored Vermont’s strength in artisan cheesemaking, with every state entrant taking home a medal.

Why it matters: - Winnimere’s win reinforces Jasper Hill Farm’s standing as one of the leading names in American artisan cheese. - The result also highlights Vermont’s outsized role in the specialty cheese market, where quality-driven production is helping sustain family farms and rural economies. - The competition signal matters for producers because ACS medals can boost reputation, visibility and market demand.

What happened: - Jasper Hill Farm’s Winnimere was named Best of Show at the 2026 American Cheese Society competition. - Winners were announced Wednesday evening during the ACS Annual Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. - Several other Jasper Hill Farm cheeses won Best in Category awards. - Winnimere and Willoughby were among the Top 10 scorers out of more than 1,600 entries from across North America. - Jasper Hill Farm has now won ACS Best of Show four times before this result, in 2006, 2013, 2018 and 2022. - Cheeses ripened or entered by collaborators have also earned Runner-up Best of Show or Best of Show honors for Jasper Hill Farm on six occasions: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022 and 2025. - Winnimere had previously taken Best of Show in 2013.

The details: - Winnimere is a raw milk, soft-ripened cheese made from Jasper Hill Farm’s own herd. - The cheese is made only in fall and winter, when the cows eat dry summer hay and the milk is richest in butterfat. - Young wheels are wrapped with locally harvested spruce bark for structure and a woodsy aroma. - During cave ripening, the cheese is washed with salt brine to develop a rosy rind and meaty, smoky flavors. - Jasper Hill Farm suggests serving Winnimere by peeling back the top rind and spooning the interior onto rye bread with a farmhouse ale or Kentucky bourbon. - Mateo Kehler, Jasper Hill Farm’s co-founder and head cheesemaker, said the farm’s cheeses are meant to create identity and connection to place and sustain a community over generations. - Jasper Hill Farm says the approach requires a commitment to quality over quantity. - More from the Vermont Cheese Council can be found here. - About a third of Jasper Hill Farm’s cheeses are made from raw milk from the farm’s own herd in a dedicated creamery. - Another third are made at the Vermont Food Venture Center from pasteurized milk from neighboring farms, mainly three pasture-based dairies with about 50 cows each. - Those partner farms are paid about double the commodity rate for their milk. - The rest of Jasper Hill Farm’s collection is made by farmer-owned Cabot Cooperative Creamery for cave-ripening with the Cellars at Jasper Hill. - At least one cheese from each of those three production segments won a Gold Medal in its class. - Vermont’s 15 cheesemakers who entered the competition all won medals, for a total of 54 ribbons.

Between the lines: - The victory is a validation of Jasper Hill Farm’s raw milk, pasture-based model at a time when commodity pricing still pressures small farms. - The competition results also suggest Vermont has turned artisan cheesemaking into a regional competitive advantage. - Jasper Hill Farm’s emphasis on raw milk, cave ripening and collaboration with neighboring farms points to a production system built around scarcity, craftsmanship and local supply chains rather than scale.

What’s next: - Jasper Hill Farm is likely to lean on the new Best of Show win to support brand recognition and demand for its cheese portfolio. - Vermont cheesemakers will continue to use awards like ACS medals to showcase the state’s role in premium dairy production. - Jasper Hill Farm’s broader collaboration model may keep shaping how the brand grows while supporting partner farms and local processors.

The bottom line: - Winnimere’s latest crown confirms that Jasper Hill Farm’s place-based, small-batch approach remains a benchmark in American cheese.