Wine Pairings with Blue cheeses

Blue cheeses, such as Gorgonzola, Roquefort and Stilton, are marked by an intense, complex flavour, with piquant, savoury notes. The right wine pairing has to bring out these characteristics without creating any imbalance of flavours. Let us look at the best wines to pair with blue cheeses.

Characteristics of Blue Cheeses and General Pairings

The choice of wine depends on several factors:

• Type of cheese: creamier cheeses go well with sweet wines, while more mature ones call for more structured wines.
• Flavour intensity: sharper blue cheeses need wines with sweetness and aromatic persistence.
• Side dishes: honey, dried fruit or nuts can change the ideal pairing.

Best Wine and Food Pairings for Blue Cheeses

Recommended Sweet Wines

• Sauternes AOC – Perfect for Roquefort, thanks to its balanced sweetness.
• Passito di Pantelleria DOC – Excellent with mild Gorgonzola, for its softness and aromatic depth.
• Moscato Passito DOC – Ideal for Stilton and creamy blue cheeses.

Recommended Fortified Wines

• Porto Tawny – Perfect for sharp Gorgonzola and very mature blue cheeses.
• Marsala Dolce DOC – Excellent with blue cheeses served with honey or dried fruit and nuts.
• Sherry Pedro Ximénez – Ideal for cheeses with more pronounced, sharper flavours.

Recommended Sparkling Wines

• Champagne Demi-Sec – Perfect for enhancing the creaminess of the cheese with a pleasant freshness.
• Franciacorta Satèn – Excellent with mild Gorgonzola and delicate blue cheeses.

Mistakes to Avoid in Pairing

• Avoid very tannic red wines, which could accentuate the saltiness of the cheese.
• Watch out for overly dry wines, which could create an excessive contrast with the creaminess.
• Avoid wines that are too acidic, which could prove unbalanced with the complexity of the cheese.

Specific Pairings for Some Blue Cheeses

• Mild Gorgonzola → Passito di Pantelleria, Franciacorta Satèn
• Strong Gorgonzola → Porto Tawny, Marsala Dolce
• Roquefort → Sauternes, Champagne Demi-Sec
• Stilton → Moscato Passito, Sherry Pedro Ximénez