Gorgonzola "Piccante" DOP is a soft, sharp, aged blue cheese made with full fat, pasteurised, cow's milk. The cheese took its name from a small town in Lombardy near Milan, where it said to have been born in the 12th century. It has a white or pale yellow compact, crumbly paste speckled with a homogeneous distribution of bluish-green marbling. The rind is compact, rough, hard and grey in colour and usually comes covered in a tin foil. Flavours are strong, intense and sharp with a pungent, spicy bite coming early on. It takes a minimum of 80 days ageing to let Gorgonzola demonstrate its unique characteristics. The cheese pairs well with a full bodied, aged, red wines, sweet and liqueur wines and rum.