November 2009
FT’s Cape Vessey wins Grand Champion Specialty Cheese Award
Cape Vessey, known to us at FT as “the little cheese that could” took top honours at 2009 British Empire Cheese Compeititon held Thursday, Nov. 26th.
Cape Vessey,This is the second Grand Champion title for Cape Vessey It won its first Grand Champion title at the 2008 Royal Winter Fair in the goat cheese category.
However, this time, it received the title of Grand Champion Specialty Cheese which means it was the highest scoring specialty cheese overall 193 entries across all goat, sheep and cow milk varieties. Prior winners of this award include Fromagerie Alexis de Portneuf and Thornloe Cheese.
Cape Vessey is a firm, 9 inch in diameter, round, washed rind and cave aged goat cheese.
In addition, Fifth Town also received the Finica Fine Foods Specialty Cheese Maker award for having the highest aggregate score in all goat, sheep milk and artisan cheese categories. This is the second year in a row that Fifth Town has received this award.
Other Awards for Fifth Town cheeses include:
Class 13: OPEN GOAT CHEESE
Cape Vessey, 1st place
Lighthall Tomme, 3rd place
Class 14: OPEN SHEEP CHEESE
Wishing Tree, 1st place
Bedda Fedda, 2nd place
Class 16: ARTISAN GOAT MILK CHEESES
Petal Luna, 1st Place
Operetta, 2nd Place
Class 17: ARTISAN SHEEP MILK CHEESES
Bonnie &Floyd, 1st place
Counting Sheep, 3rd place
The Fifth Town team were thrilled by the outcome. “We were especially excited about the Grand Champion Specialty Cheese award” says founder/President, Petra Cooper. “In our 18 months of operation, we have done really well in goat and sheep milk cheese competitions. However, we are often not eligible to compete in cow milk classes as we do not make any cow milk cheeses. However, this award goes to the highest scoring cheese across all milk categories. The cow category has a lot more players and cheeses made by excellent dairies to compete against. And this is why this award is extra special! Cape Vessey is playing with the big boys now!”
Chief Affineur or “cave man” Phil Collman says “A great cheese starts with great milk and is really made in the vat at the hands of a terrific cheese maker like Stephanie. However, the way a cheese is aged, and the environment it is aged in, is what really determines the taste especially in the case of a washed rind cheese like Cape Vessey.
Phil also says “I love working with Cape Vessey in the caves” says. It’s so motivating to see the white wheels of newly made Cape Vesseys begin their transformation after just a few washes with salt brine. The wheel begins to blush or take on an apricot hue and smells like fresh baked bread due to the yeasts that bloom on the rind at the start. Over time, the colours being to deepen and become more saturated, like a late sunset. When it’s ready for market, it looks like a sunburst Gibson guitar! And smells a bit like a musty, wet leather jacket!”
Stephanie Diamant, Master Cheese maker, adds “Cape Vessey is actually a very simple cheese to make. But with the right care and attention, it just blooms in the caves over time. It’s an example of what good affinage can do for a cheese.”
ABOUT FIFTH TOWN’S CAPE VESSEY
Cape Vessey, named after a steep set of cliffs on Lake Ontario in Prince Edward County just down the road from our dairy, is a washed rind, firm goat cheese that is aged 3-4 months but can also age up to 6 months. This Trappist style cheese is meaty, and has a chewy, slightly salty rind. The paste offers complex and slightly aggressive flavours. Creamy on the palate with rich, flavourful finish. For more information about the awards and the British Empire Competition, visit http://www.cocma.ca
ABOUT THE CENTRAL ONTARIO CHEESE MAKERS ASSOCIATION
The British Empire Cheese Competition is Canada’s longest running cheese competition in Canada. This year’s event marks its 82nd year. And though the Association experienced a significant drop in membership over past 10 years, it is now experiencing a revival with increased numbers of entries from across Canada coming in each year. The association was incorporated as a non-profit organization on August 29, 1928. It was founded to provide an opportunity for Cheesemakers to share knowledge and techniques, in a foundling Canadian industry. The annual conference and competition attracts over 100 attendees. For exact numbers of dairies (estimated to be 25-30) who competed this year and number of entries (estimated to be over 230+), please contact Wendy Gibbons at 905-377-1029 or email her at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). The website is http://www.cocma.ca
