Pairing wine and chocolate can be a delightful experience, but it requires a bit of care to get it right. When I was offered a glass of wine with a piece of very dark chocolate with chili flavours for the first time, I was not very enthusiastic. Another artificial hype but not a pleasure for a “real” wine enthusiast, so my first thought.
After I had dealt with the subject more intensively, I came to the conclusion that if one takes a few things into account, it can be quite a pleasure.
Chocolate and wine have a lot of similarities to each other. Both have intense, fruity notes and both are sweet. But this can be too much of a good thing exactly because of these similarities.
On the other hand, wine and chocolate pairings that emphasize the differences between the two delights will be a better match.
Polyphenols in wine and chocolate also affect the pairing. Polyphenols are responsible for giving dark chocolates their bitter notes and for giving wines their tannic notes. If you pair for example a glass of dry red wine with a dark, bittersweet chocolate, the experience won’t be pleasurable. The wine will taste bitter and sour. The reason is an overload of polyphenols (types of tannins) found in both chocolate and wine. So, finding a good balance is key in combining wine and chocolate.
How, then, to be successful?
Here are some tips for pairing wine and chocolate:
- The Sweetness: Although it might sound counterintuitive, a wine that is „sweeter“ than the chocolate itself actually works quite well. With sweet wines we do not only consider dessert wines such as Port or Vin Santo but also full-bodied red wines with ripe, fruity flavours such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfancel or Malbec. The “sweetness” of the wine provides a nice balance to the bitter flavours of the cacao in dark chocolate.
- The Intensity: In general, choose pairings that have similar styles and weights. Less intensly flavored chocolates go well with lighter bodied wines, while such with more intense flavours match better with full bodied wines.
- The Flavours: When pairing wine and chocolate, consider the flavor notes of both. For example, a chocolate with a nutty flavor would pair well with a wine that has nutty notes, such as a Sherry.
Remember that the key to a successful pairing is balance. You don’t want one flavor to overpower the other, so aim for a pairing that enhances the flavors of both the wine and the chocolate and ultimataley don’t be afraid to experiment. The best pairing is the one you enjoy most!
By the way, my favourite pairing is white chocolate with Ice Wine- very delicious 🙂
