The 2016 New Zealand Cheese Awards were held last week at the swanky Langham Hotel in Auckland with 420 entrants vying for the top spot. The Champions of Cheese award went to an Auckland Blue Cheese from Puhoi Valley Cheese, The Kawau Blue. Another blue, Kapiti Kahurangi blue won the Favourite Cheese Award by public vote.
The legends at Mercer Cheese took away the Champion Artisan Cheese award for the delicious extra mature Gouda which we taste on a number of our tours. We were delighted to see Hawkes Bay’s Origin Earth take awards for their feta and smoked cheeses. One cheese we regularly taste on the Tastebud Tour is the delicious Farmhouse Mature Goats cheese from Crescent Dairy Goats who took away the European Style Cheese Award.
New Zealand cheese goes from strength to strength and there is so much variety on offer to try all around the country. For a full list of medal winners from the 2016 New Zealand Cheese Awards follow this link.
Join our Tastebud Tour for a taste of the very best New Zealand artisan cheese or to meet the cheese makers talk to us about a private tour!