Charcut-hooray: NZ’s best cheese for 2026 has been crowned

New Zealand’s cheesemaking talent has absolutely proved to be simply too gouda (I had to) at the 2026 New Zealand Cheese Awards.

With a whopping 267 entries, the awards celebrated the country’s finest dairy - but of course, some had to come out on top.

The Champion Commercial Cheese prize went to Whitestone Cheese’s Monte Cristo - “A smooth, delicate classic” that judges said had them “salivating.” 

That makes it back-to-back wins for Monte Cristo, after also taking home this title last year.

Whitestone also snagged the best New Zealand Original Cheese. NZSCA Chair Simon Berry, who is also the Managing Director at Whitestone, told rova he was "absolutely thrilled" with the results.

"It proves that dedication to quality with our team in Oamaru in our factory, and that we can back it up with two titles, fantastic."

Other standout winners included Meyer Cheese, taking Champion Mid-Sized Cheese for their Vintage Gouda, and Craggy Range Sheep Dairy, grabbing Champion Boutique Cheese with their Pecorino. 

"Belle Chevre had a beautiful, pretty much ten-out-of-ten, goat's milk Camembert," Berry added.

"It was so silky smooth it melted, um, on your tongue, and you didn't really need to chew it at all. It literally dissolved, and the texture and flavour - it was perfect."

Honestly, all I can think about right now is planning a weekend charcuterie board.

The night also recognised excellence across every type of cheese imaginable - burrata, feta, blue cheese, halloumi, cheddar and smoked gouda… the list goes on.

Barry’s Bay Traditional Cheese took out the Champion Cheesemaker Trophy, while Puhoi Valley and Massimo’s were also among the other big winners.

Berry said that celebrating New Zealand's cheese products is more critical now than ever.

"Because we operate in this global food market, we're seeing a lot of imports on our shelves, and we're seeing pressure for all primary manufacturers coming through into retail.

"We're seeing that with Wattie's and other primary manufacturers in New Zealand with imports. So that's why we need to collectively make sure that we are seen and visible and celebrated, and people know what is being done in the industry, they're aware of it, and they can look for it."

Master Judge Jason Tarrant added that the level of the entries “show that no matter the scale of the cheesemaker, the passion to craft the best cheese in New Zealand has never been more alive.”

If you’re planning on keeping an eye out for the winners during your next shop, you can spot them by looking out for the shiny, golden, silver and bronze New Zealand Cheese Awards medal stickers.