UNDATED (WSAU)   A Gouda cheese from central Wisconsin has been judged as the nation’s best.

The Marieke Mature Gouda from Holland’s Family Cheese in Thorp won the top award last night at the U-S Championship Cheese Contest in Green Bay. Marieke Penterman is the cheese-maker who brought the entry – and her cheese scored 98.31of a possible 100 in the final round of judging.

The first runner-up was a semi-hard alpine cheese from the Spring Brook Farm and the Farms for City Kids Foundation in Reading Vermont. Wisconsin cheeses won gold medals in 47 of the 81 categories. Vermont and New York tied for second, with six golds each.

The contest attracted a record number of entries, over 1,700.