Vermont summers are fleeting and as people who live here year round know, it's the perfect time to get out on the lake, marvel in sunsets, and savor as much warmth as possible. One of the telltale signs that the season is in full swing, is the annual Vermont Cheesemakers Festival. This year, the festival marked its 6th year! If you've never attended the festival, as I hadn't until Sunday July 20th, then I highly recommend it! The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. And you really do need all six hours to completely experience the myriad cheese and artisan food vendors that dot the gorgeous Shelburne Farms landscape.
The sun was bright and hot as people lined up at 9:45 a.m. to grab a commemorative bag and wine glass which would be used throughout the event to sample nineteen Vermont beer, wine, cider and spirits producers! A program in each bag highlighted not only the forty-nine cheesemakers, forty-one artisan food producers, and fifteen artisan products and services, but also provided a handy guide to workshops (counter intelligence, vertical tasting, sweet and stinky, and European vs. Vermont), seminars, and cooking demos (cooking with cheese and ales and cheese and chocolate) being offered throughout the event. Cheesemaking demos by Shelburne Farms staff and a demo by Chef Courtney Contos were also featured.
I won't lie, the shear breadth of vendors was a little overwhelming, but in the best way possible! It seemed, at first blush that it would be quite the feat to sample each product, but I made a go of it! I even managed to make it into one of the packed workshops which were complimentary with admission. Sweet and Stinky was my workshop of choice given my affinity for strong cheeses. A panel featuring Eleanor Leger of Eden Ice Cider, Colin Davis of Shacksbury Cider, and Gail Albert from Shelburne Vineyards graced the stage. They discussed their sweet beverages' compelling ability to pair well with cheeses from Vermont Farmstead, Jasper Hill and Twig Farm. The side by side tasting left my taste buds tingling and begging for more, which fortunately, meant stepping just outside the classroom where my cheese, chocolate, and caramel tasting continued.
My strategy involved skipping some of the tables with my favorite, often purchased cheeses, like Vermont Creamery and Taylor Farm and hitting some I hadn't tried before. Standouts included Parish Hill Creamery blue which was simultaneously creamy, grainy, and pungent as well a Sage Farm goat cheese. Crowley Cheese Company has been around for a long time, but somehow this was my first taste and the extra sharp as well as the chive coated my palette and lingered for a considerable time.
After tasting a number of cheeses, it was time to hit the sweets! Big Picture Farm caramels have been a long time favorite and once again, they did not disappoint. Several dishes dotted their table with a variety of caramels to sample alongside rounds of their goat cheese. I also found a couple of new chocolates to add to my roster, such as Burke Mountain truffles. This company takes the Vermont philosophy of collaboration and incorporates it beautifully into their truffles. A white chocolate truffle used Eden Ice Cider as a flavor component and another was oozing with Fat Toad Farm caramel. But, the real standout for me in the chocolate department ended up being Laughing Moon chocolates. Wow! From their peanut butter fudge to their salted caramels. Their truffles had unique flavor combinations including cardamom and blue cheese. Even their salt and pepper chocolate bar was out of this world delicious. These satiating confections topped off my sweets consumption for the day!
It was suddenly 3 p,m. and time to visit some of the animals that make all of these delicious cheeses possible. I met baby goats, Cider and Streudel and bottle fed a month and a half old calf named Charlotte. This is one of the many reasons the cheesemakers festival is so wonderful. One has the opportunity to meet the animals that produce the milk, interact with the cheese makers, and determine ideal spirit pairings all on the shores of beautiful Lake Champlain. It truly doesn't get much better than that!
Corey Burdick is a freelance writer who has spent the past twelve years pursuing her passion for wine, food, and fitness. She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and has her WSET Level II certification from Vermont Wine School. You can find her work in Edible Green Mountains, Best of Burlington, The Burlington Free Press, and The Other Paper.
