Zinfandel Pairing

Looking for a zinfandel pairing?

Zinfandel is a wine that brims with confidence – and for good reason. It starts strong with explosions of candied fruitiness followed by a bit of spice, and it serves up a smoky finish. When choosing cheese for a zinfandel pairing, you'll want varieties that match zin's moxie. Smoked gouda, asiago, aged cheddar, gorgonzola, and havarti can serve as a worthy sparring partner for zinfandel.

Here in Wisconsin, we love the gusto of zinfandel. We know that when it comes to a zinfandel pairing, Wisconsin Cheeses have just as much swagger as the finest zin. After all, our cheesemakers are constantly turning out the tastiest, most award-winning cheeses on the planet – and we are darn confident about that.

Take a spin through our website to learn about all the Wisconsin cheeses that can make a great zinfandel pairing or a charcuterie meat pairing. Search our recipes for inspiration for your next wine and cheese board. Or read on for more recommendations and tips.

Our favorite Zinfandel pairings

Here are a few of our favorite cheeses for pairing with zinfandel.

• Start with rich and bold cheeses like sharp cheddar or smoked gouda.
• Aged cheeses also shine with a good zin, which complements their sweetness and density beautifully.
• Flavored cheeses can also be a great zinfandel match.
• Hard cheeses like cheddar or manchego pair nicely with a jammy zinfandel.
• Medium and bold zinfandels also appreciate blue cheese, feta, aged gruyere, havarti, gorgonzola, and parmesan.
• The sweetness of a late-harvest zinfandel is similar to port and pairs easily with a blue-veined cheese.

Let the sparks fly: pairing zinfandel and Wisconsin cheese

There's something electric about pairing zinfandel with Wisconsin cheese. These made-in-America masterpieces really enjoy each other's company. You're bound to encounter the most exciting tastes and textures when these homegrown icons of culinary delight spend a little quality time together.

What's great about pairing zinfandel with Wisconsin cheese is that there's so much cheese to choose from. Our cheesemakers now make more than 600 flavors, styles, and varieties of cheese. We produce one-quarter of all the cheese made in America, and nearly half of all the specialty artisan cheese this country has to offer. That means, when you're looking for a zesty cheese for your zinfandel, you'll always find a Wisconsin cheese that's raring to go.