Let’s hit the sweet spot as we take a closer look at chocolate’s favorite lover: wine. Follow me through this easy peasy guide to pairing chocolate and wine. It’s loaded with simple tips on pairing white and red wines as well as sweet and sparkling wines with their tasty chocolate partners.
Nowadays there’s an abundance of chocolatey choices to satisfy every sweet, salty, spicy cocoa fix we can imagine. So, it’s no coincidence that chocolate (dubbed “the food of the gods” in Latin) takes us straight to heaven at first bite. But wait…how can you make heaven better, you ask? Just add wine. (Cue clouds parting in the sky, cue angelic chorus…)
With that in mind, let’s explore a few simple ways to pair chocolate and wine with our best ever tool: (you guessed it!) our tongue.
pair wine with Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolates can pair well with red wines that have a fuller body and strong character. Darker reds can stand up to the bold and strong flavors in dark chocolate while complementing the taste.
Consider Pairing With: Dark Full-Bodied Red Wine
- Try the luxurious blackberry and black currant notes of a Cabernet Sauvignon
- The rich plummy flavors of a Zinfandel pair well with dark chocolate as well.
- The dark fruit and spice flavors of a Merlot would be delicious.
Pour A Dessert Wine
A PX sherry is a dark, rich, and sweet fortified wine that speaks the language of chocolate. Consider pairing this with a salty dark chocolate!
pair wine with Milk Chocolate
Milk chocolates can pair well with light-bodied, silky, and fruity reds with easy-drinking and mellow character.
Consider Pairing With: Light-Bodied Red Wine
- Pinot Noir’s fruity but also earthy and leathery notes pair well with milk chocolate.
- Try popular Italian sparkling reds such as Lambrusco or Brachetto d’Acqui. These are delicious and tend to lean toward the sweeter side (another reason they mesh so well with chocolate).
Pour A Dessert Wine
A Banyuls dessert wine, which boasts hints of baked strawberries and warm spice, would get along nicely with milk chocolate or even a hazelnut-dotted chocolate bar. Nuttiness works well with this pair!
pair wine with White Chocolate
White chocolate has creamy and buttery flavors that would carry on well fruity and sweet white wine.
Consider Pairing With: Sweet White Wine
- A late-harvest Riesling is made from grapes that are left on the vine a little longer which translates to a sweeter style and a perfect pair for white chocolate.
- Moscato wines fit the bill as well. They will boast sugary fruit notes of peach, apricot and melon which play nicely with the sweet buttery personality of white chocolate.
Pour A Dessert Wine
Sauternes is a sweet French wine with flavors of apricot, honey and nut. Consider chocolate bark laced with almonds and dried apricots for this one!
Tokaji is a Hungarian sweet wine that is particularly known for its even layers of sweetness and acidity. Any of these would make lavish and delicious companions for white chocolate.
Keep In Mind: If you go with a dessert wine, it will be best enjoyed chilled—usually between 45 and 50 degrees.
pair wine with Chocolate Covered Berries
Other big favorites like chocolate-covered strawberries, cherries, or blueberries are always a big hit with bubbly. Consider champagne or rosé for a berry-studded pairing.
pair wine with decadent Chocolate Desserts
If you wanna think outside the box (of chocolates), pair your sips with chocolatey mousses, fudges, or even coffee-spiked chocolate desserts (tiramisu anyone?). Any of these would mingle particularly well with darker fortified wines like port.
Related: Spiced Wine With Brandy and Brown Sugar
pair wine the way you like it best!
Keep It Easy Peasy by remembering:
- That chocolate and wine have no hard fast rules. Pair what you like!
- If you find that you’ve paired things that go in a completely different direction, roll with it.
- Suggestions are here to steer us in a basic direction, but the joy of discovering something new unlocks the pleasure that speaks to the senses! Go with your flow!
- Choose flavors you enjoy the most.
- Pick wines that suit your palate, personality, and style. Your taste buds will thank you for curating combinations that are a pure expression of you!
All this talk of chocolate is making my mouth water already! I hope this easy peasy guide to chocolate and wine arms you with the confidence to pick bold delicious flavors and pair them to your heart’s content! I know nothing makes me smile bigger than a nibble of chocolate and a splash of silky red wine… Cheers!
