Sartori Receives Four First Place Awards at Wisconsin State Fair

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Jul 06, 2015, 09:02 ET

PLYMOUTH, Wis., July 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Sartori Cheese earned four first place awards at the Wisconsin State Fair Cheese & Butter Contest for their Merlot BellaVitano®, Classic Asiago, Limited Edition Extra-Aged Goat cheese, and Limited Edition Pastorale Blend®. Sartori swept the 'Flavored Hard Cheese' class with the top 5 places, and also received a second place finish for their BellaVitano Gold in the 'Open Class for Hard Cheese'. This year, the competition hosted over 370 entries and featured 28 classes.

Sartori's Classic Asiago cheese received a first place finish at the Wisconsin State Fair.

"This competition is different from others in the fact that they recognize the cheese maker as well as the cheese. Each year, the first place winners move on to a second round of judging, where one final cheese becomes the Grand Champion and the maker, the 'Grand Master Cheese Maker'," shares Sartori's Master Cheesemaker and 2014 Grand Master Cheese Maker, Mike Matucheski. "Sartori cheese makers have been extremely fortunate to be recognized as the State Fair's 'Grand Master Cheese Maker' since 2012. Last year, I received that crown with our newest cheese, Chai BellaVitano, and I was extremely humbled. In the 2013 competition, Sartori cheesemaker Joel Pagel was named the Grand Master with the Sartori Classic Asiago submission."

Sartori's Merlot BellaVitano is a "Sartori Original" cheese made only by the crafters at Sartori. The BellaVitano base cheese starts out with light sweet caramel and savory notes of Parmesan, has a rich, creamy texture, and finishes with a sweet fruitiness. The wheel is then soaked in a fine Merlot wine and aged to perfection. Their Classic Asiago is a wonderfully mild and versatile cheese, justly famous for its nutty flavor, and creamy, buttery finish. Limited Edition Extra-Aged Goat cheese is a very approachable, mild, and balanced goat cheese. Patient aging of at least 10 months has enhanced its savory, caramel notes. Sartori's Limited Edition Pastorale Blend is a mixed-milk cheese (cow/sheep) hand dusted with smoked Spanish paprika to deliver a "one of a kind" sweet and nutty flavor.

Sartori received the following additional awards in the 'Flavored Hard Cheese' class: second place for Balsamic BellaVitano, third place for Espresso BellaVitano, fourth place for Rosemary and Olive Oil Asiago, and fifth place for Citrus Ginger BellaVitano, which was released this past January.

All of Sartori's award winning cheeses can be purchased at specialty cheese shops throughout the United States and found online at sartoricheese.com. For more information and updates, follow Sartori on Facebook and Twitter @sartori_cheese.

About Sartori
Sartori has been producing artisan and premium cheese for seven decades for Specialty, Retail, Ingredient, Restaurant and Food Service markets. Based in Plymouth, Wisconsin, Sartori has an impressive array of award winning cheese noted for innovative approaches and consistent top quality across their entire line. For more information, please visit www.sartoricheese.com or call us directly at 800-558-5888.

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SOURCE Sartori Cheese