Tonight at the American Cheese Society conference in Austin, TX, Rogue River Blue from Oregon was named "Best in Show" out of 1300 entrants in the cheese competition.

In 2003, this same blue was named "Best Blue Cheese" at the World Cheese Awards in London, which was the first time a cheese made in the US beat out Stilton and Roquefort. Clearly, Rogue River Blue is a cheese that has something special going on.


I've always loved all the blue cheese made by the Rogue Creamery. Their blue cheeses are richly flavored, but not overpowering and the texture is typically very creamy. Their Rogue River Blue is made from raw milk and wrapped in grape leaves harvested from an Oregon vineyard and macerated in pear brandy made in Oregon. It is all this Oregon goodness that makes Rogue River Blue an amazing cheese - plus, the naturally occurring molds that Rogue Creamery considers "signature Rogue River Valley Terroir."

Rogue River Blue has sweet and earthy notes of pine and hazelnut with a hint of fruitiness from that pear brandy. I'd tell you to run out to your local cheese shop to buy some, but chances are they won't have it. Rogue River Blue is made in limited quantities each year and typically "released" in the fall. So bug your local cheese shop this week and ask them to get their order in. Or, you can even try calling Rogue Creamery directly to place an order at (866) 396-4704.

Congratulations to Rogue Creamery for winning "Best in Show" at the 2009 American Cheese Society conference.

Stay tuned for more news about other winning cheeses at the American Cheese Society Conference.