Certain places become known for certain food. Sometimes it's just an development of innovation in a particular food -- such as Philadelphia and the cheese steak or Memphis and BBQ -- but often it is because the best examples of the foods are created in the area -- like Napa Valley and fine wines.
That's the way it is with Wisconsin and artisan cheese.
If your idea of great cheese goes far beyond the gooey orange stuff poured over nachos, you are probably always on the lookout for new and delicious specialty varieties to try. True cheese heads are an adventurous and curious lot, always looking for the next "best cheese I've ever eaten!"
Foodie Fantasy and Dream Tour
Wisconsin is the largest producer of cheese in the United States and the state's artisan cheeses have won more awards than those of any other state -- or any other single country, for that matter.
Small, Old World-style cheese making facilities are increasingly becoming destinations for food lovers, much the same way wineries and breweries did in the late '80's and 90's.
If you love good cheese, here are 3 spots in Southwestern Wisconsin you should not miss:
Madison's Fromagination
This is one of the biggest and best cheese shops in the world. Located smack in Capital Square, you can spend a day just wandering the aisles and taking in the wonderful smells. But be sure to pick up a favorite or three.
Go on Wednesday or Saturday and you can also enjoy the largest producers-only farmers market in the country, the Dane County Farmers Market. 300 plus vendors sell thousands of home-made food products including hundreds of small run cheeses. Heaven on Earth.
America's Little Switzerland
Forty-five minutes southwest of Madison is Green County -- known as "America's Little Switzerland -- where you can watch one of the last remaining makers of the 180-pound "big wheel" style Emmenthaler Swiss working.
Be sure to stop at the New Glarus Brewery for a pint and the Chalet Landhaus Inn & Restaurant for a fondue demonstration by Swiss trained chef, Mike Neval.
Carr Valley Cheese
One of the nations most decorated artisan cheese makers, Carr Valley Cheese of La Vallee, won 16 ribbons and 2 Best in the Show awards at the 2008 American Cheese Society Competition.
Do not miss the Wollersheim Winery. The vineyards at this National Historic Site were planted by the "father of modern wine making", Agoston Haraszthx in the 1840's. Guided tours and tasting are offered daily.
That's the way it is with Wisconsin and artisan cheese.
If your idea of great cheese goes far beyond the gooey orange stuff poured over nachos, you are probably always on the lookout for new and delicious specialty varieties to try. True cheese heads are an adventurous and curious lot, always looking for the next "best cheese I've ever eaten!"
Foodie Fantasy and Dream Tour
Wisconsin is the largest producer of cheese in the United States and the state's artisan cheeses have won more awards than those of any other state -- or any other single country, for that matter.
Small, Old World-style cheese making facilities are increasingly becoming destinations for food lovers, much the same way wineries and breweries did in the late '80's and 90's.
If you love good cheese, here are 3 spots in Southwestern Wisconsin you should not miss:
Madison's Fromagination
This is one of the biggest and best cheese shops in the world. Located smack in Capital Square, you can spend a day just wandering the aisles and taking in the wonderful smells. But be sure to pick up a favorite or three.
Go on Wednesday or Saturday and you can also enjoy the largest producers-only farmers market in the country, the Dane County Farmers Market. 300 plus vendors sell thousands of home-made food products including hundreds of small run cheeses. Heaven on Earth.
America's Little Switzerland
Forty-five minutes southwest of Madison is Green County -- known as "America's Little Switzerland -- where you can watch one of the last remaining makers of the 180-pound "big wheel" style Emmenthaler Swiss working.
Be sure to stop at the New Glarus Brewery for a pint and the Chalet Landhaus Inn & Restaurant for a fondue demonstration by Swiss trained chef, Mike Neval.
Carr Valley Cheese
One of the nations most decorated artisan cheese makers, Carr Valley Cheese of La Vallee, won 16 ribbons and 2 Best in the Show awards at the 2008 American Cheese Society Competition.
Do not miss the Wollersheim Winery. The vineyards at this National Historic Site were planted by the "father of modern wine making", Agoston Haraszthx in the 1840's. Guided tours and tasting are offered daily.
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