Buttermilk Gorgonzola is Roth's Wisconsin-made, Italian-style blue cheese aged for at least three months. It combines an earthy, assertively piquant flavor with the pillowy texture that makes it especially useful in risotto.
The name can cause two misunderstandings. It does not mean liquid buttermilk appears in the current ingredient list, and it does not make this American cheese the same product as protected Gorgonzola from Italy.
Choose it when you want a stronger blue that can soften into warm food without disappearing. Roth also recommends it with pears, apples, figs, bacon, gin martinis, and pale ales.
In This Article
What Is Buttermilk Gorgonzola?
Roth makes Buttermilk Gorgonzola from cultured cow's milk, salt, enzymes, and Penicillium roqueforti. The mold culture creates the internal blue-gray pockets and contributes to the earthy aroma and peppery finish.
The producer describes the paste as pillowy, while a secondary cheese reference calls the cut texture crumbly.
Both can be true in one wedge because a soft interior may compress on the tongue while the veined edge breaks into uneven pieces under a knife.
Three months is the published minimum rather than a promise that every piece has exactly the same age. Roth does not state a maximum age or fixed wheel size on the current consumer page.
- Producer: Roth Cheese, part of Emmi Roth
- Origin: Wisconsin, United States
- Style: Italian-inspired cow's-milk blue
- Minimum age: Three months
- Current certifications: Gluten-free, rBST-free, and vegetarian
The word buttermilk identifies its place in Roth's blue-cheese family. The current ingredient statement says cultured milk and does not list liquid buttermilk or buttermilk powder.
Roth's 2025 World Cheese Awards announcement calls the winning cheese Roth Gorgonzola, while the consumer product page uses Buttermilk Gorgonzola. The description and three-month specification match, so shoppers may encounter both versions of the name.
Is It the Same as Italian Gorgonzola?
No. Buttermilk Gorgonzola is an American Italian-style blue, while Gorgonzola PDO is a protected Italian cheese produced within defined areas of Piedmont and Lombardy under its own specification.
The word style matters because it describes a flavor and texture direction without transferring Italian origin.
A Wisconsin wedge should not carry the Gorgonzola PDO mark or be presented as an imported Italian wheel.
Read the full label when origin matters. Buttermilk Gorgonzola identifies a Roth product from Wisconsin, while Gorgonzola PDO identifies cheese made under the protected Italian specification.
The comparison is still useful at the table. Both are cow's-milk blue cheeses with internal mold development, a softening paste, and enough savory intensity for rice, pasta, salads, fruit, and drinks with a clear counterweight.
Do not assume that Italian-style means a copy of either Gorgonzola Dolce or Gorgonzola Piccante. Roth publishes its own three-month age, pillowy texture, ingredient statement, and peppery flavor description.
Why Does Risotto Suit Its Pillowy Texture?
Risotto gives Buttermilk Gorgonzola enough moisture and starch to spread its flavor through the dish. The rice softens the salty blue intensity, while the cheese adds fat, earthiness, and a peppery finish without requiring a large portion.
Add the cheese after the rice is cooked and the pan is off direct heat.
Gentle residual heat lets small pieces soften into the starch instead of boiling the aroma away or separating the fat.
Start with one ounce for a four-serving pot, stir, and taste before adding more. That amount can season the rice clearly without turning every spoonful equally salty.
Reserve a few small pieces before stirring the rest through. The dissolved portion enriches the base, while the intact pieces show where the stronger blue flavor enters each bite.
Plain mushroom, leek, pear, or roasted squash risotto leaves room for the cheese.
A heavily salted stock, cured meat, and a large blue-cheese portion can stack too much salt in one bowl.
Buttermilk Gorgonzola softens and disperses rather than producing a long elastic pull. Use it as a finishing cheese, not as the structural cheese on a pizza that needs stretch.
What Does Three-Month Aging Change?
At least three months gives the blue culture time to build a fuller earthy flavor than Roth's younger Buttermilk Blue. The result is assertive and piquant, but its paste remains softer than a dry aged blue intended for brittle crumbles.
The peppery finish comes from the developed blue flavor rather than pepper added to the recipe.
Cultured milk, salt, enzymes, and Penicillium roqueforti are the only ingredients on the current producer page.
Temperature changes the balance. A refrigerator-cold piece feels firmer and saltier, while a small serving rested for about 20 minutes shows more earth, cream, and pepper.
Blue coverage varies across a cut because the mold follows air channels inside the wheel.
A heavily veined corner can taste sharper than a pale center piece from the same wedge.
Do not judge the age from vein count alone. Use the product name and label for the three-month minimum, then judge the cut face for moisture, condition, and the texture you want.
How Strong Is It Beside Roth's Other Blues?
Buttermilk Gorgonzola sits between the two named Buttermilk Blue ages, but age alone does not create a simple intensity ladder. Its Italian-style recipe and pillowy paste give it a different purpose from both the mellow original and the selected six-month Affinée.
| Roth Blue | Published Age | Best Reason to Choose It |
|---|---|---|
| Buttermilk Blue | 2+ months | Mellow tang for crumbles, dressings, and mixed crowds |
| Buttermilk Gorgonzola | 3+ months | Pillowy, peppery blue for risotto, salad, and stronger pairings |
| Buttermilk Blue Affinée | 6+ months | Concentrated tasting portions and deliberate after-dinner service |
Choose the original when blue flavor should stay in the background.
Choose Gorgonzola when the cheese needs to spread through soft food yet remain obvious, and choose Affinée when a small plain piece is the main event.
The current producer pages list the same one-ounce nutrition values for all three. You are choosing a different aging and eating experience rather than a higher-protein version.
Which Foods and Drinks Balance the Peppery Finish?
Sweet fruit and crisp drinks keep the finish from becoming tiring. Roth names pears, apples, figs, bacon, gin martinis, American pale ale, and India pale ale as direct pairings.
Pear and fig soften the salt without covering the earthy center.
Apple brings more acid and crunch, which works well when the wedge feels especially soft.
- Gin martini: Clean alcohol and botanical notes cut through the soft paste.
- Pale ale: Malt supports the earthiness while moderate bitterness clears the finish.
- Pear or apple: Fresh sweetness and water lighten a salty bite.
- Fresh fig: Soft sweetness matches the pillowy texture.
- Bacon: Use a small amount because both foods bring salt and savory depth.
For salad, use bitter leaves, pear, and toasted nuts with a restrained dressing. Too much vinegar can make the peppery finish feel sharp, while a sweet bottled dressing can hide the cheese.
On a board, serve it after mild bloomy or Alpine cheeses and before a dense aged blue. That order lets the pillowy paste register before salt and mold intensity fatigue the palate.
How Should You Buy and Store a Cut Piece?
Look for a pale ivory to light yellow paste with irregular blue-gray pockets and a cut face that still appears cohesive. A few natural crumbs are normal, but wet slime, collapsed paste, or a strong ammonia smell indicates poor condition.
Ask when the wheel was cut and buy a portion that fits the next several meals.
A smaller fresh piece is a better purchase than a discounted wedge that will dry or perfume the refrigerator before you finish it.
At home, wrap the cut face loosely in cheese paper or parchment and place it in a shallow container. Keep it refrigerated, as the producer directs, and open the container occasionally to check for trapped moisture.
The blue inside the paste belongs there.
Because this is a soft, mold-ripened blue, discard it when unfamiliar pink, black, or fuzzy surface growth appears rather than trimming around a questionable area and guessing.
Temper only the amount you plan to eat. Repeatedly warming the whole wedge creates condensation and shortens the period when the paste tastes clean and pillowy.
What Can You Use When It Is Unavailable?
Choose a substitute by what the dish needs. Risotto needs a blue that softens smoothly, salad needs controlled crumbles, and a tasting plate needs enough character to stand alone.
- Gorgonzola Dolce: The closest direction for creamy risotto, with a sweeter and usually gentler finish.
- Gorgonzola Piccante: A firmer, sharper choice when intensity matters more than pillowy texture.
- Buttermilk Blue: The easiest Roth substitute for a milder salad, dressing, or mixed crowd.
- Buttermilk Blue Affinée: A stronger Roth alternative for small tasting portions, though it is less economical in a large pot.
- Cambozola: A milder, creamier option when the peppery finish would be too forceful.
For risotto, begin with less substitute than the recipe's stated amount when using a saltier or drier blue.
You can add more after the cheese disperses, but you cannot remove salt once it reaches the rice.
For a board, texture matters as much as strength. Gorgonzola Dolce or Cambozola stays closer to the soft experience, while Piccante and Affinée move toward a firmer, more concentrated bite.
What Does One Ounce Provide?
The current Roth panel lists 100 calories, 8 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein, and 380 milligrams of sodium in a one-ounce serving. Saturated fat is 6 grams, which the label marks as 30 percent of the Daily Value.
The same serving contains under one gram of carbohydrate and zero grams of sugar. Those numbers do not certify the cheese as lactose-free, so people with a low tolerance should start with a small portion.
Milk treatment needs a current label check.
Roth's product page says cultured milk without stating pasteurization, while a secondary reference calls the cheese unpasteurized, so the package in your hand should decide pregnancy and immune-safety choices.
FDA guidance advises pregnant people and other high-risk groups to choose blue-veined cheese only when the label confirms pasteurized milk. Heating it in risotto does not replace checking the milk statement and handling history.
Roth labels the product gluten-free, rBST-free, and vegetarian.
It still contains milk, and the sodium concentration makes measured portions more useful than treating it as an unlimited salad topping.
SOURCES & REFERENCES
It is Roth's Wisconsin-made Italian-style cow's-milk blue, aged for at least three months for an earthy, piquant flavor and pillowy texture.
No. It is an American Italian-style blue, while Gorgonzola PDO is made in protected production areas of Italy under a separate specification.
The current Roth ingredient list says cultured milk, salt, enzymes, and Penicillium roqueforti. It does not list liquid buttermilk or buttermilk powder.
Expect a full earthy blue flavor, assertive piquancy, and a complex peppery finish in a softer, pillowy paste.
Yes. Stir a small amount into finished risotto off direct heat, then taste before adding more because the cheese contributes both salt and strong blue flavor.
The current producer page does not say. Check the package because a secondary reference describes it as unpasteurized, and milk treatment matters for pregnancy and immune-safety decisions.
