An Oregon cheese stands alone.

A blue cheese called Rogue River Blue, made by Rogue Creamery in Central Point, Oregon, has been declared the best cheese in the world at the 2019 World Cheese Awards.

The event took place Friday in Bergamo, Italy, where cheeses from around the globe were judged over a single day by technical experts, retailers, buyers and food writers. They looked for color, consistency, texture and, ultimately, taste to determine the winner.

At the end of the day, the Oregon blue cheese came out on top, making Rogue Creamery the first American cheesemaker to win the competition, organizers announced on Facebook.

BREAKING NEWS: our organic Rogue River Blue Cheese just won BEST CHEESE IN THE WORLD!!!! Great Taste Awards Posted by Rogue Creamery on Friday, October 18, 2019

According to the creamery’s website, Rogue River Blue is made from organic milk, cave-aged nine to 11 months and hand-wrapped in Syrah grape leaves that have soaked in pear liqueur. It’s known to exhibit flavors of blackberry, vanilla, hazelnut and bacon – all of which would probably pair nicely.

Winners in previous years have included a Fanaost and Kraftkar from Norway and a Cornish Kern from England.

The World Cheese Awards has not yet released the rest of the 2019 results.

--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB