2024 Maine Cheese Awards announced.  The Awards are sponsored and organized by the Maine Tasting Center in Wiscassset Maine. Download a pdf file of Maine’s winning cheeses here.

Maine Tasting Center Events offer cheese enthusiasts an opportunity to sample and learn about  Maine  foods including cheeses. Check  out the Center’s  events calendar for their Taste of Maine  events.

“Maine Tasting Center is the name of our campus in Wiscasset, a well-provisioned, central location where we run our classes, operate our Tasting Room, and offer space to our industry partners, producer partners and community partners from across the state for their own educational purposes.”

~ Maine Tasting Center

Here are the winners  chosen from a large field of excellent Maine cheeses. More information on the rankings and details will be available soon.

Maine Cheese Awards 2021

Fresh Cheese
1. ChiGoBee Farm (Pownal) – Plain Chevre
2. Noisy Acres Farm (Buxton) – Plain Chevre
3. Flying Goat Farm (New Glouster) Plain Chevre

Honorable Mention:
Pineland Farms (Bangor) – Cheddar Curds
Springdale Farm (Waldo) – Cream Cheese
Kennebec Cheesery at Koons Farm ( Sidney) Chevre

Flavored Fresh Cheese
1. York Hill Farm (Washington) – Green Peppercorn and Nutmeg Roll
2. Fuzzy Udder Creamery (Whitefiled) – (Appleton recipe) Chevre in Oil
3. Crooked Face Creamery (Skowhegan) – Garlic & Rosemary Ricotta

Honorable Mentions:
Abrahams Creamery (Newport) -Herbs De Provence
Sunflower Farm Creamery (Cumberland) – Marinated Chevre
Dreahmin Fahm Dairy and Creamery (Wilton) – Garlic and Basil Chevre

Soft-Ripened Cheese: Bloomy

1. Winter Hill Farm (Freeport) Tideline
2. Silvery Moon Creamery (Westbrook) – Camembert
3. Spring Day Creamery (Durham) – Out & About

Honorable Mentions:
Silvery Moon Creamery ( Westbrook) – Camembert with Fenugreek
Flying Goat Farm – (New Gloudester) – Grace
Lakin Gorges Cheese at East Forty Farm ( Waldoboro) – Rockweed

Washed Rind Cheese

1. Fuzzy Udder Creamery (Whitefiled) – Cyclone
2. Josh Pond Farm (Whiting) – Rocky Lake Raclette
3. Kennebec Cheesery at Koons Farm (Sidney) – Quaker Hill

Honorable Mention:
Winter Hill Farm (Freeport) – Tideline

Aged Natural Rind Cheese

1. Balfour Farm (Pittsfield) – Torrin Tomme
2. Fuzzy Udder Creamery (Whitefiled) – Windswept
3. Kennebec Cheesery at Koons Farm (Sidney) – Sugarloaf Mountain

Honorable Mention:
Balfour Farm (Pittsfield) – Haymaker Cheddar
Pineland Farms ( Bangor) two vintages that more or less tied with each other Josh Pond Farm (Whitibng) Down East Tomme

Blue Cheese
1. Spring Day Creamery (Durham) Fraffie
2. Fuzzy Udder Creamery (Whitefiled) – Polar Vortex
3. Spring Day Creanert (Durham) Deja Blue

Honorable mention:
Winter Hill Farm (Freeport) – Bradbury Mountain Blue

Flavored Cheese
1. Balfour Farm (Pittsfield) – Cotswold
2. Dreamin Fahm (Wilton) – Smoked Gouda
3. Balfour Farm (Pittsfield) – Smokey Ghost

Honorable mention:
Yellow Birch Farm (Deer Isle) – Lichen

Best in Show
York Hill Farm – (Washington) _ Green Peppercorn and Nutmeg Roll
(Penny & John Duncan – Founding members of the Maine Cheese Guild retired after 36 years and their legacy continues with new owners of York Hill to Yuki Goseki & Josh Fratoni
Runner up is Winter Hill (Freeport) – Tideline