Zinfandel and Gorgonzola

We purchased this wine during our recent trip to J. Keverson in Healdsburg. (https://wineandcheesefriday.com/healdsburg-fun/). This pairing is one of the final ones from the list we found in The Fun Book for Couples.(http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/0740738372) The last time we paired a wine with Gorgonzola cheese we could only find “crumbles” so we were excited to find a chunk of it this time.

We were both excited to have this wine for Wine and Cheese because we really liked it in Healdsburg! I was more on my game this week; able to identify an aroma of cherry cola and spice. There were light tannins, and a smoky flavor. I’ve heard some wines have this “cherry cola” flavor but I haven’t experienced it until this wine tasting. I may have been getting too caught up in the idea of cherry cola but noticed a fizzy flavor. Neil smelled a floral bouquet similar to tulips. He tasted black cherry, some spice but not overly spicy, and blackberry. We both really enjoyed it!

We had differing opinions on the Gorgonzola cheese. I thought it was strong, sharp, funky, and sour but good. I’d like to try it on a hamburger. Neil found the cheese to be very milky and didn’t like it because it was too strong. He would like the cheese better on a sweet salad. We were both surprised that it wasn’t salty.

When we combined the Gorgonzola and Zinfandel we both found the cheese to dull the wine, and the wine to almost become watery. Neil thought the wine improved the flavor of the cheese. I noticed more of the wine flavor in my throat. We both agreed this was not a good pairing but fought over the rest of the wine!