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Cheese is one of my favorite foods. If it was up to me, I’d eat like they do in the Mediterranean with a cheese plate, bread and olive oil for dipping, and a glass of wine for practically every meal. While the Europeans have the right mindset on consuming copious amounts of cheese, Americans have a pretty great grasp on cheese production.
When you break it down within the U.S, Wisconsin is the No. 1 cheese–producing state. Even though they are known for Cheddars or those fresh, squeaky curds, Wisconsin cheese is so much more than that.
Wisconsin cheesemakers produce everything from Colby and Fontina to burrata and blue. My personal favorite is the Wisconsin-original BellaVitano cheese, a nutty cheese made by the Sartori Cheese Company that’s soaked in everything from whiskey to balsamic vinegar. It’s a textural mix between creamy Cheddar and crystallized Parmesan, and it’s the perfect cheese board addition.
While Sartori has won more than 446 awards for its cheeses across the brand, there’s one Wisconsin cheese that’s so beloved it’s racked up the most awards in American history. Uplands Cheese's Pleasant Ridge Reserve is the most-awarded cheese in the U.S.
What Is Uplands Cheese Pleasant Ridge Reserve?
Bailey Fink
Pleasant Ridge Reserve is an aged, Alpine-style cheese. Wisconsin cheesemakers still use old-world copper vats to make these pressed and cooked cheeses—a process that dates back to the 11th century in the Alps—which results in a rich, nutty, and full-bodied end product.
The most well-known Alpine-style cheese is Gruyère, but Pleasant Ridge Reserve might be even better.
Uplands Cheese only makes its award-winning cheese in the summer months when the cows are actively grazing. The result is a complex cheese with a hint of sweetness from the grass-fed milk, plus salty, rich, and fruity flavors from the washed rind.
I tried Uplands Cheese’s Pleasant Ridge Reserve and there’s a reason it’s the only cheese to win both Best in Show in the American Cheese Society’s annual competition (three times!) and the U.S. Cheese Championships. It’s an incredibly flavorful cheese with a long, savory, and almost earthy finish.
I’ll admit: It might not be a cheese for the novice charcuterie board makers since it has such a distinctive flavor, but if you’re looking for a cheese that will wow, this is the one.
Where To Buy Uplands Cheese Pleasant Ridge Reserve
Uplands Cheese is sold at many specialty cheese stores across the nation, and the specific Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheese can also be ordered online from a few retailers, including Wisconsin Cheese Market and Heritage Foods.
Pleasant Ridge is well known enough that you should be able to find it at most specialty stores throughout the year. However, because Uplands Cheese only produces it during the summer months, it might be harder to find in the winter. If that’s the case, you can look for Uplands Cheese’s other famous option, Rush Creek Reserve. The creamy, Brie-like cheese, which has been described as tasting like “the world’s most delicious fondue,” is only available in the fall and winter months.
Hopefully you can find one or the other, depending on the season. But, if you happen to find Pleasant Ridge and Rush Creek at the same time, you should probably buy both because you might just be the luckiest cheese lover out there.
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