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Pairing Wine and Chocolate

by Mike Supple
published: 27 Jan 2010       | Comments

Chocolate and wine can be enjoyed together any time of the year, but it can be a bit daunting to head into the pairing blind. Use this Valentine's Day as an excuse to expand your horizons and try some delicious - and romantic - new combinations!

There are no cardinal rules to follow when it comes to enjoying wine and chocolate - as with all food and wine pairings, your taste is what matters most. However, these simple guidelines will help put you on the path to a heavenly match while avoiding the pitfalls of sour grapes.

• The wine should be sweeter than the chocolate. If your chocolate has a lot of sugar but the wine doesn't, the wine will end up tasting sour. Dry wines like Cabernet or Zinfandel are best with darker chocolates with cocoa levels of 55% or higher. Milk chocolates can work with some smooth and fruity red wines - like Merlot or Pinot Noir - but milk and white chocolates are generally best with sweet wines.


• Light with light and bold with bold. This doesn't mean red wine with dark chocolate and white wine with white chocolate - light and bold are a reference to flavors. If the chocolate is delicate, then a more simple wine will work. If the chocolate is full of roasted nuts or fruits, then a more complex wine will be better.


• Match flavors. Think of flavors that you like together and go from there. If your chocolate has mint in it, try some Cabernet or Zinfandel as they both often have mint aromas and flavors. If the chocolate has roast hazelnuts, a nutty desert wine like a Tawny Port will accent the chocolate very well.

Whatever you decide to do, go into it with an open mind and hungry taste buds, and you're sure to have a fun and memorable experience!

If you're not yet brave enough to choose your own pairings based on these general tips, here are a few fun ideas for you to try:

Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Champagne
Pairing Champagne or sparkling wine with chocolate can be risky - most sparkling wines are dry (no sugar) and the acid levels are very high. Put this with a sweet chocolate and your wine and chocolate will end up tasting bitter. That being said, by pairing with a demi-sec or sec Champagne - these words on the bottle mean that the wine is sweet - you can end up with an elegant match to set the right mood for any romantic occasion.

Chocolate and Port
A good Port has lots of sugar, but is also well balanced so it doesn't come off syrupy. A rich, sweet milk chocolate works very well with a young Ruby Port. Ruby Port is sweet with lots of bright fruit flavors like raspberry and cherry. For dark and bittersweet chocolate, try a port that has more nut, caramel and toast flavors like a Tawny Port. Tawny Ports pick up lots of spicy, nutty flavors to accent the fruit as they age in oak barrels for 10, 20 or even 30 years.

Assorted Filled Chocolates and Madeira
If the traditional heart-shaped box of assorted chocolates is your thing, then finding one wine to go with all the different flavors can be tricky. You can use this as an excuse to pop several corks and try many things, or you can go with the dessert wine that seems to play very well with others: Madeira. Madeira is similar to Port in many ways, but it has its own unique flavors of baking spices, citrus fruits, nuts and more.