Some say chocolate does not combine well with the wine, but if you have the right wine to match with the right chocolate it can take you to paradise of the senses! Whether pairing a delicate white or dark chocolate with wine, keep in mind the following guidelines. Note that combining wine with chocolate is not completely understood. It may take several experiments until you find the best combinations. Remember that your taste sensations can be very different from those who try and test individually. Try to keep the wine sweeter than chocolate, otherwise both flavors collide and rise bitter notes instead of smooth synergy of their union. The combining of wine chocolate is best to meet lighter, more elegant flavored chocolates with lighter wines. Similarly, the stronger is the chocolate, the more tightly to be wine. For example, bitter sweet chocolate blends well with intense California Zinfandel or even highly tannic Cabernet Sauvignon. The darker the chocolate is, the stronger the feeling of tannins. However, in a combination of dark chocolate with wine with powerful tannins, chocolate often overshadow or cancel the feel of tannins on the palate and allows the foreground fruit notes.
Like the “official” wine tasting in experimenting with different types of chocolates starting from lighter to darker. Start with a more subtle white chocolate and leave to end the dark or bitter chocolate.
White chocolate and wine
White chocolate is biased with a soft and buttery flavor, making it an ideal candidate for Sherry, a Moscato d ‘Asti, sweet sparkling wines, Red Misket. Sherry and Moscato d ‘Asti will raise the softness of chocolate and red misket will bring fruit tones on the scene. A little more risky, but good hits is experimenting with a powerful tannic wine with a light chocolate. For example, more tannic Zinfandel, often with higher alcohol may partner with a slight buttery white chocolate and get unusual good effect, the content of tannins soften the feel, and the result of the combination is remarkable.
Suggestions for milk chocolate and wine
Pinot Noir or Merlot will complement the light bar of milk chocolate, cream or chocolate mousse or cheesecake with chocolate accent. Riesling, Moscato or dessert wines tend to hold up well with light milk chocolate. Sparkling wine or champagne blends perfectly with milk chocolate and strawberries. Last but not least, a classic combination of milk chocolate with a nice Ruby Port – a very safe bet when looking for the perfect wine to accent milk chocolate.
Suggestions for dark chocolate and wine
Dark and bitter chocolates need a wine that offers crisp, pronounced aromas own chocolate accents. Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel will satisfy your expectations for a good combination with chocolate. Think of Pinot Noir or Merlot combined with the dark chocolate with 55% cocoa. Bet on the sure – Banyuls, dessert wine from the South of France as the perfect representative of the star couple. Dense and aromatic wines often offer their chocolate shades reflect the texture of the dark chocolate and produce sensational flavor synergy.
The “DIY” often leads to a long and tiring tastings, but the most successful way of finding individual favorite for the combination of these two elixir. Not only the styles and varieties of wines may be subject to tasting chocolates, but finding a partner of different vintages of these wines aerobatics that requires many experiments! We hope you can find the most appropriate chocolate for your favorite wine and let us know your discovery!