Chocolate is the third rail of food-wine pairings. The notion of matching wine to chocolate elicits strong reactions, beginning with categorical statements that the two don’t belong together. But then someone will mention an exception, and someone else will remember a dinner long ago when the mood was right and the wine and chocolate sang an unexpected love song as a coda to a perfect evening. Perhaps we should think of chocolate not as the most difficult wine pairing, but the most personal.
To get a sense of the emotions involved, I put the question to social media. Mind you, my online friends are mostly dedicated wine lovers, many of them in the trade making or selling wine. They came up with pretty esoteric pairings, including banyuls, a sweet fortified wine from southwestern France, as well as vin santo from Italy. Port was another favorite, both ruby and aged tawny. Cognac, creamy stouts and bourbon were mentioned by the anti-wine faction. Some were particular about not just the wine but also the cacao percentage in the chocolate. And several simply replied “No!” One fellow writer opined, “There are a lot of things the world doesn’t need, and another piece … on wine and chocolate is one of those things.” Oh well.
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Interestingly, my friends who don’t dedicate an inordinate amount of their lives to wine were refreshingly sanguine about the question, enjoying chocolate with whatever wine happens to be on hand. They may be onto something.
What makes chocolate a difficult partner for wine? Cocoa butter can coat your palate and skew other flavors, an exception perhaps to the recognized rule that fat cuts tannin. Meanwhile, chocolate’s acidity can make wine taste harsh.
A general maxim is that the wine should be sweeter than the dessert. But really good chocolate is bitter as well as sweet, further complicating the match.
Chocolate is not monotone: Gourmet bars are enhanced with all sorts of ingredients, including fruit, nuts, salt, chiles, lavender and even bacon. Each of those flavorings suggests a wine, sort of a dessert corollary to the idea of pairing wine to the sauce rather than the protein. This point was driven home to me in a tasting in San Francisco I wrote about a few years ago, when I spent a happy hour sampling various gourmet chocolates with numerous zinfandels. Zin can work because it has raspberry and cranberry notes that bring out fruity flavors in chocolate.
And we don’t always eat chocolate as candy. Cakes, brownies, cookies, pies and other yummies abound. They may include nuts, fruits or spices, and we may eat them with ice cream or a fruit sauce. The variations are limitless. So how can we categorically say chocolate doesn’t go with wine?
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So here are a few suggestions to explore, based on my experience and the advice of my social media friends.
That open bottle: First, try your chocolate dessert with whatever unfinished wine you had with dinner. This is where the knives come out among wine nerds. Best bets are fruity reds, such as a bright zinfandel or a juicy Australian shiraz. Whites are tricky, though Jake Busching, winemaker at Hark Vineyards in Virginia, swears by petit manseng for its combination of fruit and acid. If leftover wine doesn’t work, set it aside and enjoy your dessert. But if you’re up for a little wine adventure, try the following:
Fortified wine: Ruby port’s unctuous texture and flavor suggest chocolate. Don’t go for an expensive vintage port — they are dessert by themselves. An inexpensive ruby such as Fonseca Bin 27 (about $16 at Total Wine & More) or Graham’s Six Grapes (about $25) pairs nicely with cakes, brownies and cookies, even a more intense piece of chocolate. If roasted nuts are involved, think of a tawny or a madeira. Penfolds Club Tawny from Australia is a terrific bargain around $15, or you could splurge on an aged tawny. Tawnies last a few weeks after opening, moderating the cost a bit. (Madeira lasts forever.) This is also a good time to break out those port-style stickies you picked up on your visits to local wineries.
Sparkling wine: While I’ve inveighed here about categorical statements against chocolate and wine, I will repeat my favorite maxim that “bubbles go with everything.” Champagne — especially demi-sec, if you can find it — is fantastic with chocolate-covered strawberries (in which the berries are the star). The most ideal wine with chocolate desserts may be brachetto d’acqui, an effervescent, slightly sweet red bubbly from northern Italy. The most ubiquitous brand is Banfi Rosa Regale (about $20), but your local wine store may have some others as well. These are delicious with any chocolate dessert that features raspberries or cherries. The fruit acts as a bridge between the wine and chocolate. Moscato d’Asti, a sweet fizzy white that tastes of orange blossoms, is another possibility.
Tasting party: For kicks and giggles, have friends each bring a bottle of wine and a chocolate dessert, and decide for yourselves whether they belong together. Just keep the knives for the desserts, not the debate.
FAQs
How do you pair wine with chocolate? As a rule of thumb, pair white wines with lighter chocolate and red wines with darker chocolate.
What do you pair with chocolate wine? ›
For example, white chocolate with Chardonnay, milk chocolate with Pinot Noir, caramel-filled chocolate with Shiraz, and dark chocolate with Zinfandel. If you're looking for gift baskets, it's all about pairing the wines they love with the chocolate they love.
Why do wine and chocolate go together? ›
A wine with high tannins pairs well with dark chocolate, as the fat content in the chocolate softens the tannins in the wine, creating a smoother experience. However, be cautious with very high-tannin wines, as too much astringency can overwhelm the palate.
What wine to pair with chocolate cake? ›
In general, lighter dessert wines such as Sauternes, Riesling and Moscato work best with lighter chocolate desserts, and richer ones such as Tokaji and fortified wines with darker, denser ones.
Is wine pairing nonsense? ›
But the wine-pairing rules are undiluted nonsense, according to one of the world's leading authorities. Tim Hanni, one of the first Americans to become a master of wine, says the practice is nothing more than "pseudoscience".
What pairs well with chocolate? ›
For additional, out-of-the-box flavor combinations, pair dark chocolate with sea salt caramel, ginger, lavender, mint, cardamom, wasabi, chipotle, jalapeño, cinnamon, fennel or black sesame seeds. Milk chocolate pairs well with caramel, honey, coconut, lavender, curry powder and asiago.
Is red wine and chocolate a good combination? ›
Traditionally, dark chocolate has always been paired with the likes of vintage port. We know this definitely works (see here for a pairing we have for such aficionados). But dark chocolate also works extremely well with many other red wines. And indeed, dark chocolate works well with many other spirits and drinks.
What does wine and chocolate do to your body? ›
Cocoa, the key ingredient in chocolate, and alcohol, including red wine, contain antioxidants that have been shown to: Increase good cholesterol (HDL) Decrease bad cholesterol (LDL) Improve blood vessel and blood-clotting functions.
What happens if I eat chocolate after drinking wine? ›
While there may be additional health benefits to eating chocolate, pairing it with alcohol might trigger gastrointestinal issues that harm the intestinal lining, especially if you are prone to digestive issues. Chocolate contains both caffeine and cocoa, which can exacerbate stomach problems and cause constant hunger.
What wine goes best with chocolate covered strawberries? ›
For dark chocolate-covered strawberries, try a red wine like Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon. For a flawless match between champagne and chocolate, some individuals favor pink or sweet champagne.
Pairing Chocolate with Liquor
Though a few spirits fall out of these categories, it's generally accepted that the six types of distilled spirits are: brandy, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, and whiskey. Each pairs particularly well with chocolate, but the pairings depend on the blend in question.
What chocolate goes with pinot grigio? ›
Remember the rule of thumb, to pair white wines with lighter chocolate. So Pinot Grigio, sparking whites, and rieslings will pair well with milk chocolate and white chocolate.
What chocolate goes with sauvignon blanc? ›
Sauvignon Blanc pairs well with creamy/buttery meals, shellfish, crab, lobster as well as white meats including pork and poultry. This wine also is perfect to pair with buttery white chocolate, as well as citus-infused whites.
What is the rule #1 when matching food with wine? ›
The general rule of thumb is to serve a wine at least as sweet or sweeter than the food being served. Sweet foods make dry wines seem over-acidic and tart. Sweet wines with a good level of acidity, such as Sauternes, are a perfect match for rich foods like pâté.
What is the most difficult food to pair with wine? ›
Especially tricky to match with wine are artichokes, asparagus, fennel and spinach. Artichokes may make wines taste metallic or sweet, due to a chemical known as cynarin.
What are the biggest mistakes beginners make when pairing wine? ›
Pairing a bold wine like cabernet sauvignon or syrah with delicate dishes like white fish is a major no-no. Save those wines for hearty fare, rich meat sauces and grilled or smoked meats. The same is true for cheese. Strong cheeses call for robust wines—like pairing Stilton with port.
How should chocolate wine be served? ›
It can be served chilled, at room temperature, or warmed, but try not to heat it beyond 65 degrees Fahrenheit, as this can greatly affect the taste.
What food goes with chocolate block wine? ›
Perfect Pairing - Bring this wine to the dinner table and serve with roast beef, spaghetti in a rich tomato sauce, or game. It's also the perfect partner for cheese like brie or stilton, or a deep dark chocolate ganache.
What goes good with chocolate alcohol? ›
Pair milk chocolate with: Rum
Whether in bars or bonbons, rich milk chocolate is a natural companion to aged rum. If your chocolate is a rung or two above a Hershey bar, you'll find plenty of butterscotch and caramel that echo the same flavors in good aged rum. Runner-up: a dry Curaçao (orange liqueur).
