At the risk of sounding cheesy, we’ll admit it: we are more obsessed with the Wedge, the Oregon Cheese Guild’s signature smorgasbord of dairy delights, than almost any festival in the country (Burning Man and SXSW included). 

As in past years, the event will take place in and around southeast Portland’s Green Dragon, and offer a tantalizing array of drinks and bites—sake to cider, nut butter to raw honey—in addition to the big cheese. These wedges, blocks, and slices originate exclusively from Pacific Northwest farms and creameries. Plus: watch out for cheese wheel bowling and “cheese hole.”  

Here’s this year’s roster: 

By George Farm
Ochoa’s Queseria
Pedrozo Dairy and Cheese co
Ancient Heritage Dairy
Briar Rose Creamery
Cascadia Creamery
Gia’s Cheesorizo
Cypress Grove
Face Rock Creamery
La Mariposa
Lark’s Meadow Farms
Laura Chenel/Marin French Cheese
Portland Creamery
Rivers Edge Chèvre
Rogue Creamery
Tillamook
Willamette Valley Cheese 

Let your primitive side shine and gorge indiscriminately (chunk of blue here, gulp of Pinot there) or take your cheese-mongering experience to the next level:

• Attend in-depth tasting and pairing Master Class in the Barrel Room ($15). Offered by local experts like Cheese Bar’s Steve Jones, these seminars dive into cheese (duh), cider, beer, and wine pairings.
• Sit down for a five-course Cheesemaker Dinner the night before the festival, with cheeses from five different creameries, wine, beer, and cider pairs, and behind-the-scenes stories from the cheesemakers themselves. Friday, Sept. 30 at Cyril’s at Clay Pigeon Winery ($60, $95 with drink pairings).

Where: Green Dragon Bistro & Pub and surrounding area (928 SE 9^th Ave)
When: 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday, Oct 1.
How Much:
Cheese tasting: $15 in advance; $20 at the festival (every tasting ticket comes with a $5 voucher towards your cheese purchase)
Alcohol: $10 (includes tastes of all alcohols and a free glass)
Tickets for all events can be found here.