Wine and Chocolate: Wine and chocolate are the most overused clichés for Valentine’s Day (if there is such a thing?). Although pairing them seems intuitively right (and it does, but we’ll get to that), most of the time we don’t know why or how to do it.
It won’t be the worst night, of course, if you give your significant other a king-size Hershey Bar and some white wine, but there are more subtle ways to do and understand it. Apply some serious intelligence to your love relationship with chocolate and wine.
We beg to differ with those who claim that wine and chocolate are an incompatible pair. This combination is deliciously ideal if you know how to match the correct wine with the right chocolate to bring out the flavors of both. And if you believe that there is nothing more decadent than a delicious chocolate dessert, we believe you will discover that these indulgent sweets taste even better when paired with a superb glass of wine. Here are five suggestions to ensure that your pairing of these two favorites is advantageous to both: wine and chocolate.
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A dry red wine is not a good option
Red wine that is dry, or not sweet, is fantastic, but it won’t get along with your love sweets. Your piece of chocolate, who is also a hunk of love, will taste like a hall monitor just broke up with you if you fetch a bottle of big, hefty dry Cabernet.
Cocoa also contains tannins
Although we all enjoy (or hate) discussing the tannins in our red wine, chocolate also has tannins. It should come as no surprise that darker chocolate has higher tannin content, with double-digit percentages. This could also account for the potential conflict between a truffle high in tannins and a red wine heavy in tannins. It feels wrong at some point, like an endless sarcastic clap.
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A lower pH, also referred to as acidity, emphasizes the fruitiness, which fermentation further enhances. (See the following. Eat some chocolate as well.)
However, your wine shouldn’t be sweet if your chocolate isn’t.
The era of “cacao” percentage comparisons is upon us. Your wine should match the intensity of your chocolate—we’re talking about 80 percent or more cacao here—by matching its intensity. It just won’t work with something fruity and sweet. Super-dark chocolate would also go nicely with some fortified wine, such as a nice Port.
Choosing the Correct Wine
The inherent bitterness of chocolate makes it imperative to choose a wine with low tannin content. Darker chocolates and high tannin wines don’t go well together since the tannins in the wine bring out the bitterness. Tannins are the bitter, astringent ingredients in wine that make your tongue feel parched after a glass. Usually, you may find them in large red wines like Barolo or Cabernet Sauvignon. Replace your high tannin cabernet wine with a lower tannin wine, such as pinot noir or Valpolicella Ripasso, when matching wine with chocolate. Another option is a sweet dessert wine or white wine, which have lower tannin levels and won’t overpower the chocolate’s bitterness.
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Wine with Milk Chocolate Complementary
Your best option if you want to enjoy wine pairings with chocolate is milk chocolate. It is more likely to go well with your preferred beverage because of its higher milk and sugar content and lower cacao level. We suggest matching with a medium-bodied red wine, such as an Australian or Californian pinot noir. The wines from these two warmer locations have lovely ripe fruit tastes that go very well with this medium-bodied chocolate. For your Pinot Noir, try the 2020 19 Crimes The Punishment ($9.99, wine.com) or the 2018 Siduri Russian River Pinot Noir ($35.99, wine.com).
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Wine and White Chocolate Matching
Of all the chocolate options, white chocolate is the creamiest and mildest. Choose a sweeter rosé, such as a pink moscato or rosé of sangiovese, to go with it instead of a lively, bubbly beverage like prosecco. Try the Martini & Rossi Prosecco ($12.99, wine.com) or the 2020 Barnard Griffin Rosé of Sangiovese ($15.99, wine.com). White chocolate and your favorite dessert wine make a delicious combination as well. Dessert wines are sweeter than regular dinner wines and are flavored with dried fruits like nectarine and apricot. White chocolate’s subtle flavor profile contrasts beautifully with the rich flavor of a dessert wine.
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Wine and Dark Chocolate Matching
The healthiest chocolate is dark chocolate, but matching it with wine can be the most challenging. More cacao is used to make darker chocolate, and more cacao has an innate bitterness. If you choose dark chocolate, we advise you to limit your cacao content to less than 80%. If the color is any darker, the bitterness becomes unbearable, especially when combined with alcohol. It’s crucial to keep in mind that strong flavors go well together when choosing a wine to go with dark chocolate. Consider pairing your robust dark chocolate with a full-bodied red wine, such as Valpolicella Ripasso, zinfandel, or merlot from warm climates. These wines complement your chocolate’s flavor richness without intensifying its bitterness thanks to their rich fruit and low tannin content.
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