Italy’s great blue cheese, in two moods: soft and creamy, or bold and spicy.
Where it comes from
Gorgonzola takes its name from a town near Milan. Today it is made in parts of Lombardy and Piedmont, in northern Italy, from cow’s milk. It is a protected name across Europe.
Like other blues, it gets its veins from a Penicillium mould. The young cheeses are pierced with metal needles so that air can reach inside and the blue-green veins can grow.
How it tastes
There are two styles, and they are very different.
- Gorgonzola Dolce: aged for around two months. Soft, creamy, almost spoonable, mild and sweet, with gentle blue notes.
- Gorgonzola Piccante: aged for around three months or longer. Firmer and crumbly, with more veins and a sharp, spicy bite.
How to buy and serve it
- Choose dolce for spreading and cooking, piccante for the cheese board.
- The paste should be creamy white to straw-coloured, with green-blue veins.
- Wrap it in foil and keep it in the fridge.
- Serve at room temperature.
Gorgonzola dolce is one of the best blue cheeses for cooking. It melts quickly into a silky sauce for pasta, gnocchi or risotto, and a spoonful stirred in at the end adds richness without heaviness.
The pairing
Our pick: a sweet wine. The salty, tangy blue meets the honeyed sweetness of the wine, and both taste better. In Italy, a sweet Passito or a Moscato is a natural match.
- From our list: Domaine de la Rectorie Banyuls (about €25), sweet and dark, for piccante.
- Lighter and fresher: Paolo Saracco Moscato d’Asti (about €15.50), for dolce with pears.
- A red that works: Braida Barbera d’Asti “Montebruna” (about €15.20). Its acidity cuts the cream in a gorgonzola sauce.
- Close to home: a Luxembourg Vin de Glace or Vendanges Tardives.
Also try it with
- Ripe pears and walnuts.
- A drizzle of honey.
- Melted into a sauce for gnocchi or polenta.
- On a pizza with pear and rocket.
More cheeses → · See all twenty bottles →
Photo: Karolina Kaboompics on Pexels
Prices were checked in October 2026 and can change. Please drink responsibly. L’abus d’alcool est dangereux pour la santé, à consommer avec modération.