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News • Wisconsin Dells • Wisconsin • United States • 2014-05-31

WISCONSIN CHEESE TRAIL

Take Wisconsin’s abundance of gourmet

cheese, and couple it with farmers’ markets,

restaurants featuring regional ingredients,

farm-fresh breakfasts at the local B&B and

tours of breweries and wineries producing

cheese’s most complementary beverages – and

you have an epicurean’s dream getaway. We call

it the Wisconsin Cheese Trail.

To make your trip even easier, we’ve done all the

hard work of pinpointing the best sights, stops,

tastes and tours for this culinary journey. Choose

from one of two carefully mapped out itineraries

– one that winds through southwest Wisconsin,

and one in eastern Wisconsin – to begin your

taster’s tour across the state

Southwestern Wisconsin Cheese Trail

Day One: Begin in Madison where you’ll

stroll through the Dane County Farmers’

Market – the largest producers-only farmers’

market in the country – then stop for lunch

at The Old Fashioned. Stock up on cheese at

Fromagination before a gourmet dinner at

L’Etoile. Catch some Zs at the Speckled Hen Inn

or HotelRED.

Day Two: Wake up early for a tour of Emmi

Roth Käse USA in Monroe, then head over to

Baumgartner’s Cheese Store & Tavern to try a

local sandwich before taking a self-guided tour

of New Glarus Brewery. End your night with a

meal at The Dining Room in Monticello before

hitting the hay at the Chalet Landhaus Inn &

Restaurant back in New Glarus.

Day Three: Begin the day with a trip to Carr

Valley Cheese in Sauk City, one of the most

heralded artisan cheesemakers in the nation.

Then head to Wollersheim Winery in Prairie

du Sac for a tour and tasting. The next

stop is Cedar Grove Cheese in Plain, one of

Wisconsin’s most environmentally conscious

producers of local and organic cheese. Crash

for the evening at Hill Street B&B.

Eastern Wisconsin Cheese Trail

Day One: Start your day at the Milwaukee

Public Market, home to 18 vendors that offer

the best gourmet, organic and specialty

produce from independent purveyors. Stop

at the Wisconsin Cheese Mart and pick up

one of the more than 150 varieties of cheese

offered. Next, catch a tour at a local brewery

– try Sprecher Brewing Company or Lakefront

Brewery – before dining at the upscale, yet

homey Sanford Restaurant. Get some sleep at

the Pfi ster Hotel or Hotel Metro.

Day Two: Head north to Widmer’s Cheese

Cellars in Theresa for a guided tour of the

factory (reservations required). Follow up

the factory tour with a two-hour hands-on

cheesemaking course with Steve Shapson (aka

The Cheesemaker) in Mequon. Finish up the

day with a guided tour of Cedar Creek Winery

in Cedarburg before retiring to the Washington

House Inn for the evening.

Day Three: Explore the foodie part of

Wisconsin’s Kettle Moraine Area with a visit to

Beechwood Cheese in Adell where you can watch

the cheese being made from an observation

window. Stop for lunch at Craverie in Kohler,

before heading to Elkhart Lake for a culinary

lesson at L’Ecole de la Maison. Sleep soundly at

the nationally recognized Osthoff Resort.

Day Four: Drive north to Little Chute where

you’ll fi nd Trega Foods/Simon’s Specialty

Cheese to sample squeaky cheese curds. Make

a stop at Lamers Dairy in Appleton before

getting lunch at the Stone Cellar Brewpub.

Spend the afternoon getting a guided tour of

Union Star Cheese Factory where you’ll learn

about the cheesemaking process. Dine at

one of several Appleton-area supper clubs,

including Lox Club, Simpson’s Red Ox Club or

Darboy Club. Spend the night at CopperLeaf

Boutique Hotel & Spa.

FUN FACTS

• In Wisconsin, agriculture is a $59.16 billion

industry. Dairy’s $26.5 billion comprises

nearly half of that total agriculture contribution.

• Wisconsin leads the nation in number of

cheese plants.

• Wisconsin is the No. 1 cheese-producing state

in the country, with over 25% of the total

annual U.S. cheese production.

• A one-ounce slice of Wisconsin Cheese

contains about the same amount of protein

as an 8-ounce glass of milk.

• As much as 90% of Wisconsin’s milk is made

into cheese and 90% of that famous

Wisconsin Cheese is sold outside of the

state’s borders.

• In 1885, Colby cheese was invented in

Colby, Wisconsin.

• Wisconsin Cheese wins more awards than any

other state or nation.

• Wisconsin cheesemakers have claimed the

Best of Show award at the annual American

Cheese Society Judging and Competition

seven times since 1998.

• Wisconsin dairy farms produce over 27 billion

pounds of milk every year. That’s about 13.7%

of the country’s total milk supply.

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