What attendees should know
The Wedge, an Oregon cheese festival organized by the Oregon Cheese Guild, is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 26, at Alder Block, 100 S.E. Alder St., in Portland’s Central Eastside Industrial District. The event is set to run from noon to 5 p.m. and is restricted to guests 21 and older, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive. It is part of Oregon Cheese Month.
Advance admission is $25, compared with $30 at the door. The base ticket covers cheese, other food, and nonalcoholic beverage samples. The menu is also expected to include items such as jams and jellies, charcuterie, chocolate, caramel, breads, crackers, hot sauces, syrups, teas, salts, and seasonings, the newspaper reports. Guests can add a $15 tasting of wine, beer, cider, and spirits, which includes a commemorative glass. A $75 early VIP ticket includes a goodie bag.
Recent awards among expected participants
Don Froylan Creamery of Salem is expected to bring Liliana’s String Cheese, which received Best of Class in the hand-stretched string cheese category at the 2026 World Championship Cheese Contest. Cheesemaker Francisco Ochoa developed the cheese and named it for his daughter. The creamery’s queso cotija placed second in its category, according to the Salem Business Journal.
A federal snapshot of Oregon dairy farms
The most recent federal agricultural census provides a statewide baseline for the dairy industry behind Oregon’s cheese producers. According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Oregon had 516 farms with milk cows and 117,533 milk cows in 2022. That figure is a snapshot and does not, by itself, establish how the number of dairy farms changed over the preceding decade.
Tillamook’s Hickory Smoked Extra Sharp White Cheddar also earned a second-place result at the contest. The cooperative reported three honors in total: a gold award for Spicy Colby Jack Slices and silver awards for the smoked cheddar and Seriously Strawberry Cream Cheese Spread, according to Tillamook.
Rogue Creamery’s Rogue River Blue placed second in the blue-molded cheese category and is also among the products expected at The Wedge. The cheese previously won the 2019 World Cheese Awards’ top title, becoming the first U.S. cheese to receive that honor. Travel Oregon describes the cheese as cave-aged and wrapped in Syrah grape leaves soaked in pear brandy; its account also notes the 2026 contest result: Travel Oregon.
The competition behind the medals
The 2026 World Championship Cheese Contest took place in Madison, Wisconsin, during its March judging event. More than 3,300 entries were assessed in 150 dairy classes. The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association has hosted the biennial competition since 1957, according to WMTV 15 News. Those results provide the recent backdrop for the Oregon products appearing at the Portland festival.
