Wine Pairing Gorgonzola

Gorgonzola has a creamy texture with veins of blue mold running throughout, imparting a bold and tangy flavor profile. When selecting wines to pair with Gorgonzola cheese, it is essential to consider its intense flavors and creamy texture.

Our favorite wine pairing is Barolo or Barbaresco. Another favourite is Vin Santo.

Below are some excellent wine options to complement Gorgonzola:

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Dessert Wines

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Vin Santo

Vin Santo is a sweet dessert wine from Tuscany, often made from dried grapes. Its honeyed flavors and nutty undertones can pair beautifully with Gorgonzola, particularly when served as a dessert pairing.

Sweet Marsala

Sweet Marsala wine from Italy has rich flavors of caramel, dried fruits, and spices. Its sweetness and depth of flavor can complement the bold flavors of Gorgonzola, creating a delightful pairing.

Aged Port

Port wine, particularly a vintage or late bottled vintage (LBV) Port, can be a delicious pairing with Gorgonzola. The wine's rich, fruity flavors, and sweetness complements the cheese's intense flavor and creamy texture, enhancing its complexity. The older the Port is, the stronger the cheese can be.

Pedro Ximénez Sherry

Sweet (not dry) Sherry works well with blue cheese. Pedro Ximénez or Cream Sherry, with their rich, sweet flavors of raisins, caramel, and nuts, are both delightful pairings with Gorgonzola. The sweetness in the wine balances the saltiness in the cheese and enhances the creamy cheese texture.

Madeira

Madeira, with its oxidative style and rich flavors of caramel, nuts, and dried fruits, can be an excellent match for Gorgonzola. Look for a medium-dry or medium-sweet Madeira to balance the cheese's saltiness and enhance its creamy texture.

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Sweet Wines

Sauternes, Spätlese, Auslese, Tokay and any other late harvest wines, with a bit of residual sugar will dance with the tanginess and saltiness of a blue cheese.

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Sauternes

Sauternes is a classic pairing for Gorgonzola. This sweet white wine from the Bordeaux region of France offers flavors of honey, apricot, and botrytized fruit. Its richness and sweetness can balance the sharpness and saltiness of the cheese, creating a harmonious combination.

Note: Similar wines like Monbazillac or Sainte Croix du Mont are a more affordable alternatives.

Late harvest Gewürztraminer

Late harvest Gewürztraminer offers intense aromatics, tropical fruit flavors, and a hint of spice. Its sweetness and acidity can provide a refreshing contrast to the pungency of Gorgonzola, creating a unique pairing.

Late harvest Riesling

Late harvest Riesling offers intense aromatics, ripe fruit flavors, and a hint of sweetness. Its acidity can provide a refreshing contrast to the pungency of Gorgonzola, while the sweetness complements the cheese's tanginess.

Late harvest Chenin Blanc

Late harvest Chenin Blanc offers flavors of ripe stone fruits, honey, and floral notes. Its sweetness and acidity can balance the cheese's sharpness and enhance its creamy texture, creating a harmonious pairing.

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Sparkling Wines

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Moscato d'Asti

Moscato d'Asti is a sweet and slightly sparkling white wine from Italy, known for its floral aromas and flavors of ripe stone fruits. Its light effervescence and sweetness can balance the sharpness of Gorgonzola, making it an enjoyable pairing.

Lambrusco

This slightly sparkling red wine from Emilia-Romagna, Italy, offers a touch of sweetness, bright acidity, and fruity flavors that can balance the richness of Gorgonzolawhile cleansing the palate between the bites.

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Red Wines

Full bodied red wines can be a suitable choice if you’re eating blue cheese as part of a meal rather than on its own.

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Barolo

An excellent Italian Nebbiolo, particularly in the form of Barolo or Barbaresco, offers complex flavors of cherry, rose, and earth, along with firm tannins and high acidity that can stand up to the richness of Gorgonzola.

Malbec

Malbec from Argentina is a full-bodied red with notes of black berries and plum. This distinctive flavor profile makes it a great partner for Gorgonzola. Oaked Malbecs also has hints of cocoa, coffee, tobacco and leather, so the complex flavors of Gorgonzolawill not overwhelm the wine. Instead, they marry together beautifully.

Cabernet Sauvignon

A full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon with its rich dark fruit flavors, firm tannins, and hints of spice can provide a bold complement to Gorgonzola.

The wine's structure and intensity can balance the cheese's creamy texture and enhance its nutty undertones.

Syrah / Shiraz

A bold and fruity Syrah/Shiraz can be a delicious pairing with Gorgonzola. The wine's dark fruit flavors, spicy notes, and firm tannins complements the cheese's robust flavors.

Zinfandel

Zinfandel, particularly those with jammy fruit flavors and a hint of spice, can complement the richness and complexity of Gorgonzola. The oak, the tannins, the acidity, and the aromas of vanilla and coconut in Zinfandel match the blue cheese without overpowering it.

Personal Preferences

As always, personal preferences play a significant role in wine and cheese pairings, so don't hesitate to experiment to find the combination that suits your taste buds best.

Additionally, consider adding some accompaniments like fruit, nuts, or bread to enhance the pairing experience:

• Crusty Bread and Crackers
• Nuts, Peanuts and Fries
• Grapes and Berries
• Olives and Garlic
• Figs and Rasins
• Slised Apple and Pear
• Dark Chocolate
• Rosemary and Thyme

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Grows Together Goes Together

If it grows together it goes together.

Pairing locally is a great way to learn more about wine and cheese:

France

• Goat cheese from Loire is great with Sauvignon Blanc from Loire.
• Munster from Alsace is great with Gewürztraminer from Alsace.

Italy

• Strong Italian Gorgonzola pairs perfectly with Italian Barolo.
• Pecorino pairs well with Chanti.
• Pino Grigio goes well with Mozzarella.

Spain

• Spanish Manchego is gorgeous both with Cava and Spanish Rioja.