Wine Pairing
Chocolate

Chocolate

Rule for dessert + wine pairing: the wine should be sweeter or it will taste sour.

Description

Chocolate and wine is a match made in heaven!

Rule of thumb: white wine complements white or milk chocolate. Red wine complements dark chocolate. Fortified wine complements them all.

The trick is to pair different types of chocolate with different types of wine to exploit the unique flavors.

Match the sweetness! Intense sweet chocolate matches intense sweet wine. Non- sweet, semi sweet or sea salt chocolate pairs with dry wine.

The wrong wine will taste bitter, sour or flabby.

Match the intensity! Consider the style and weight. A full body red wine needs extra dark cocoa to create a balance.

Red wines should have smooth tannins to create the silky effect. Remember that chocolate contains tannins too and that the darker has the highest percentage.

Champagne and Sparkling wines match many types of chocolate.

Bitter Dark Chocolate

55% Cocoa

Pinot Noir (World)

Zinfandel (USA)

Primitivo (Italy)

Medium Dark Chocolate

60% Cocoa

Merlot (World)

Bordeaux (France)

Chianti (Italy)

Extra Dark Chocolate

80% Cocoa

Amarone (Italy)

Syrah (New World)