Swiss Gruyère Crowned 2025 World Cheese Champion — 18‑Month Vorderfultigen Spezial Tops 5,244 Entries

Swiss Gruyère Crowned 2025 World Cheese Champion

An 18-month-old Vorderfultigen Spezial made by Bergkaserei Vorderfultigen has been named the 2025 World Cheese Champion, beating 5,244 cheeses from 46 countries at the World Cheese Awards in Bern.

The winning wheel comes from a mountain dairy in the Gantrisch pre-Alps, just south of Switzerland's capital. The contest — organized by the Guild of Fine Food, which founded the awards in 1988 — was held in Switzerland for the first time, although Gruyère varieties have previously won the top prize five times.

Perry Wakeman, grand final judge: "It's the kind of cheese that would make people get excited about cheese. It's a big old cheese — there's a lot going on. The texture is beautiful: it's flinty as you break it apart; the crystals are so delicate. It is massive. It makes an impact."

- How the cheeses were judged -

Judging took place on long tables draped in white cloths, where an international panel of 265 experts — cheesemakers, chefs, buyers, retailers and journalists from more than 40 countries — sampled entries while wearing recognisable yellow aprons.

Kuba Maziarczyk, a Polish cheesemaker and final-round judge: "First of all, we're looking at the visual appearance of the cheese: how it looks from the inside and outside."

Judges then assessed aroma (the "nose") and, ultimately, flavour. An initial selection of standout cheeses was narrowed in subsequent rounds before a final tasting by a "super jury" made up of judges from 14 countries.

Laurent Dubois, French judge: "Cheese must reflect its terroir; it must be balanced in taste, aroma and flavour. It shouldn't be too aged or too young. Cheese is a question of harmony — often found in cheeses with a long tradition."

- The joy of the competition -

About 2,000 spectators watched the action inside Bern's Festhalle exhibition hall. Judges celebrated the diversity of entries — from blues to hard cheeses — and said surprising samples frequently reawakened their palates.

Nigel Barden, British judge and BBC food broadcaster: "We've got blues. We've got hard cheeses. We've got all different styles. Just when your palate's getting a little tired, a cheese comes along and really excites you — and that's the joy of the World Cheese Awards."

John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food, said the awards were set up to raise the profile of small cheesemakers and to remind the world of the link between land, milk, animal and farm in creating great cheese.

The next World Cheese Awards will be held in Córdoba, Spain.