What Wine to Pair with Gorgonzola Cheese

Gorgonzola is a soft cow's milk cheese from Italy. It is creamy with carefully cultivated streaks of mold. It tends towards a sweet and earthy flavor, with hints of funk from the mold as it ages. It is soft enough to melt easily, and is often incorporated into sauces for pasta dishes.

In a sauce, it has the tendency to dominate the flavor profile, so expect to pair it with a wine that can stand up to it. Look for red wine with some ripe fruit or earthiness to match:

• Pinot Noir
• Merlot
• Zinfandel

Gorgonzola often shows up on cheese plates for dessert, and should be complimented by a hearty dessert wine:

• Ruby or Tawny Port
• "Late Harvest" wines
• Sauternes (or other wine where grapes experienced rotting known as "botrytis")