By MITCH LIES

Capital Press

Move over Wisconsin: Cheeses from California and Oregon are taking over.

Rogue Creamery of Central Point, Ore., won "Best of Show" for its Rogue River Blue at the 25th annual American Cheese Society Judging and Competition, held earlier this month in Austin, Texas.

Cowgirl Creamery of Point Reyes Station, Calif., won second with its Red Hawk cheese. Red Hawk is a triple-cream organic cheese made from cow milk.

Rogue River Blue is a raw cow milk cheese based on a recipe the creamery's founder brought back from Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, France. It is wrapped in Syrah grape leaves from a local vineyard that have been macerated in a pear brandy made from locally picked pears. The cheese is aged for more than a year in Southern Oregon caves.

Rogue Creamery also won awards for several other cheeses. In all, several cheeses from California, Oregon and Washington were among 314 winners.

Wisconsin scored the most ribbons with 92. California came second with 45. Vermont captured the third-most ribbons with 32.

Multiple ribbon winners among California creameries include Marin French Cheese Co., Cypress Grove Chevre, Rumiano Cheese Co., Meyenberg Goat Milk Products, Winchester Cheese Co., Karoun Dairies, Arthur Schuman and Mozzarella Fresca.

Oregon ribbon winners include Tillamook County Creamery Association, Tumalo Farms, Willamette Valley Cheese, Rivers Edge Chevre, Ancient Heritage Dairy and Rising Sun Farms.

Washington winners include Beecher's Handmade Cheese and Estrella Family Creamery.

Staff writer Mitch Lies is based in Salem. E-mail: mlies@capitalpress.com.