The SF Chronicle's cheesemaster-in-residence Janet Fletcher gives her year end round up of the curd Her thoughts? The Swiss are coming in strong, home cheesemaking is on the rise, and...

...our independent merchants set the bar, taking risks on unfamiliar cheeses that need to be hand sold.

How satisfying it is to see relatively young shops like Cheese Plus in San Francisco, Farmstead Cheeses and Wines in Alameda and Montclair, Oxbow Cheese Merchant in Napa, and the Cheese Shop of Healdsburg draw loyal and appreciative customers.

Read more here.

photo via stu_spivak