Wine & Chocolate

Pairing Wines & Chocolate

Here are Mary's Basics for Pairing Wine and Chocolate. Both wine and chocolate can be very complex on their own, so keep it simple with three basics rules:

Rule #1

The wine you select must be perceived as sweeter than the chocolate. Since chocolate coats your mouth when you eat it, you will need a wine that is big enough to cut through its richness.

Rule #2

Try looking for flavors in both that are similar to one another.  Use Your Taste Buds. The most important factor in all this, as in all pairings of food and wine, is that only you can decide what tastes best.  Use the following guidelines to help you get started, and then let your taste buds lead the way.

Rule #3

Choose the Right Chocolate. Try to stay with a dark solid chocolate.  A major mistake with wine and chocolate pairing is the chocolate being too sweet.(remember rule #1) filled with sugar fats or creams. The perfect chocolate would be semisweet that contains anywhere from 50 to 70 per cent cacao (Ka-Cow).  With tones that are nutty, spicy, or earthy, semisweet dark chocolate has a balanced and less sweet aftertaste than milk or white chocolate.

Now you know the rules so how do you put wine and chocolate together?

Taste the Wine, Then the Chocolate. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat

Once you've got a great pairing, it's nothing but bliss. Start by tasting the wine, allowing its flavors to fully saturate your mouth. Then take a bite of  the chocolate, letting it slowly melt on your tongue. Sip the wine once again, and you might never consider having one without the other ever again. ………………………………  

Here are some basic wine recommendations                        

Red Wines Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux’s, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, or Zinfandel

White wine Usually not a good match, but I like Chardonnay.  Try to choose one that is not too dry.

Dessert Wines  Champagne, Sparkling Wine or Ruby Port are considered a classic pairing with semisweet chocolate.