They are both considered the epitome of luxury in some cultures and share a history of being considered an aphrodisiac. Of course, in this instance, the focus is chocolate and wine.
Interestingly, much like wine and cheese, wine and chocolate are often paired with each other to create an enjoyable evening with friends at home or a great day out.
If you cannot afford the latter and want to have a taster session at home, read on, as here, the best wines to pair with the different kinds of chocolates will be explored.
Milk Chocolate
Have you ever had a set of decadent chocolate truffles with cocoa powder? If you have, then chances are that they were milk chocolate.
You need to look at the ingredients to define what milk chocolate is. These chocolates are made up of 50% cocoa and 50% milk or cream. Indeed, these chocolates are considered the tastiest and the most likely to be put into a create your own chocolate box gift set! The extra milk, cream, or fat makes milk chocolate one of the easiest chocolates to pair with wine.
The type of wine to pair milk chocolate with tends to be red wine. It is usually sweet and port-based, and if you can find it, a red sparkling wine will go down a treat with a milk chocolate, such as a late harvest red wine like Petit Sirah.
Dark Chocolate
Now, onto a more bitter-tasting chocolate that has a list of health benefits! Dark chocolate has a higher concentration of polyphenols and cocoa, making it ideal for pairing with sweeter, lighter wines at a combination taster evening.
Remember, dark chocolate can have a cocoa concentration of up to 90%, so you need to look over this aspect before choosing which wine to pair with it!
You should aim for wines that are sweet and have nutty or fruity undertones. Even wines that have a taste of cinnamon can be a great match here. These will usually be white wines and can even be chianti, which will usually be best enjoyed when sipping the wine and nibbling the chocolate. You don’t want to break off large bits of dark chocolate and gulp down these wines, as it may spoil your palette.
White Chocolate
This is a tricky chocolate to pair wine with as, technically, it contains no cocoa and is not, therefore, a chocolate.
However, it can be paired with wines, particularly deep red ones, based on the sweetness-to-bitterness ratio.
Which wines should you pair white chocolate with? Well, any red wine that has an undertone of raspberries, strawberries, black currant, or blueberries. These will be Beaujolais wines, as well as Pinot Noir wines. The white chocolate will counteract the sweetness with the level of fat and creams, enhancing the fruity tastes and wisps of the wine. You can even pair iced wine with white chocolate, like Vidal Blanc, as it has raspberry and citrus flavors that will balance perfectly with the chocolates’ sweetness.
