Australian Master Cheesemaker and Cheese Grader Neil Willman, Master judge for the 2008 <I>Cuisine</I> NZ Champions of Cheese Awards, says the standard of local cheese is rising. Photo / Brett Phibbs
A cheese knife could have cut the atmosphere yesterday at the Cuisine NZ Champions competition at Massey University in Auckland.
Headed by master judge Neil Willman, 26 of the country's best noses prodded, sniffed and tasted 400 cheeses.
And there was nothing cheesy about standards. Judging was serious
stuff, done in complete silence while everything from the unripened to blue and rind varieties were scored.
Mr Willman said judges needed quiet to find the standouts in 14 different categories. Basically they were looking for something akin to sex appeal.
"They're asking, 'Does it have cheese appeal?' They'll look at the body because it's the body that helps deliver the flavour to the palate.
"They're scoring on presentation, then they'll take a sample and smell it, then they'll taste it and say, 'Is this cheese the best it can possibly be?"'
There wasn't a bottle of wine in sight but officials were definitely part of the "spitters club", Mr Willman said.
That's because too much of a good thing could sit uncomfortably in the stomach and affect "objectivity".
The Australian has judged at world championship level and is his country's only fulltime cheese educator.
For the past 26 years he's been responsible for all the programmes at Gilbert Chandler College, a dairy-dedicated institution.
New Zealand's industry has come a long way in the three years he's been involved in the competition.
"I've seen a significant hop forward.
"There are 400 products here. The most you might get in Australia is 350. In some areas like the Dutch cheese it's a very strong competition. There are some fantastic medallists here - it's outstanding quality."
Entrants will find whether their products were gouda enough at a gala dinner tomorrow with the naming of Taylor's Port Champion of Champions Cheese and, for the first time, a Cuisine Artisan Award for producers making less than 10 tonnes a year.
Cheesemakers entered 1920kg this year and what wasn't nibbled at during judging will be used at Sky City for Cheesefest - a chance for the public to have a bite on Wednesday from 5pm to 8pm.
