Celebrate National Chocolate Day With Wine and Chocolate Pairings

Wine and Chocolate Pairings

Wine and chocolate have a lot in common. They’re delectable, their tastes range from sweet to bitter, and they both compliment your candle-lit, bath tub “me time” on a Thursday night splendidly. Wine and chocolate are each awesome by themselves. But pairing them together? Ah, that can be tricky, as there are a lot of flavor nuances to take into consideration.

In celebration of National Chocolate Day, we’re going to discuss a few wines and chocolate pairings that are sure to satisfy even the most sophisticated of sweet tooths.

Wines to pair with White Chocolate

A lot of people don’t consider white chocolate to be a true chocolate because it doesn’t have cacao. But it’s actually one of the few chocolate-ish sweets that can pair exceptionally with dry red wine.

• Pinot Noir: Surprisingly a great pairing! The white chocolate acts as the fat that delivers sweet flavors of red cherries, strawberries, and raspberries found in the Pinot Noir.
• Moscato d’Asti: Since white chocolate is soft enough to match with white wines, a Moscato d’Asti delivers flavors of peaches and cream with floral notes of roses, giving the tasting experience a little extra creaminess.

Wines to pair with Dark Chocolate

You have to be careful with this, as dark chocolate can really go terribly with a wine with to much tannin.

• Value red wines with some residual sugar (RS) are the go-to pairing choice when it comes to the finicky nature of dark chocolate. Many value red wines display a profile with anywhere from ~10–60 grams per liter of RS. Look into value brands of Shiraz, Malbec, Zinfandel and some Red Blends (ie; Ménage à Trios).
Zinfandels
• Syrah, shiraz
• Tawny Ports
• Sherry

Wines to pair with Milk Chocolate

Mlik chocolate is a little easier to pair than dark chocolate, as the milder flavor and high sweetness really plays well with a variety of wines. Here are a few suggestions:
• Pinot Noir: this wine is very versatile and can be paired with lighter chocolates such as white chocolate or milk chocolate.
• Merlot
• Port wines
• Madeira
• Champagne

For more wine and chocolate recommendations, be sure to ask the helpful chocoholics at your local Spec’s.

Cheers, and Happy National Chocolate Day!