Pairing Wine and Chocolate

By: Maria E. Milano

 Chocolate and wine – a match made in heaven ...or an unlikely duo?  With Valentines Day just around the corner here are some tips you can use to impress your sweetheart.  When most people think of wine and chocolate pairing, they think dry red wine with dark chocolate – is that all there is?  Here are some helpful hints for you to follow on your journey to a perfect pairing:

 Where to start:
First, remember chocolate has different aromas, textures and flavors and much of your enjoyment of chocolate comes from your sense of smell (just like wine!), so don't forget to inhale!  Next, chocolate ranges in "body," from light bodied white chocolate to a full-bodied dark chocolate.  Similar to wine, if you are tasting a number of chocolates, start with the lighter bodied white chocolate and work your way up to a more full bodied dark chocolate. Also, the wine you are pairing should be at least as sweet as the chocolate, if not sweeter than the chocolate it is being served with. If the wine is too dry, it may cause the chocolate to taste bitter or sour.

 
White Chocolate and Wine:

White chocolate is kind of a misnomer in that it that some do not contain any cocoa products.  True white chocolate does contain cocoa butter.  The flavor of white chocolate is more vanilla or butter in characteristic.  The creamery buttery characteristic of white chocolate makes it ideal for pairing with a sweet white wine.  This kind of pairing will bring out the creaminess in the chocolate and the fruit tones in the wine.  Another white chocolate pairing to try is Chardonnay, which although dry, may have buttery tones that bring out the buttery characteristic in white chocolate.

Milk Chocolate and Wine:

Milk Chocolate also has creamy tones to it that make it ideal to pair with a lighter bodied red wine, such as a Pinot Noir. Remember, with milk chocolate, if you go too dry with the wine pairing you will get a bitter or sour taste- so go light on the tannins.  Another great pairing with milk chocolate is a sweet red wine.  This is because the flavors and aromas of fruit such as raspberries, blackberries and cherries can be more prominent in a light red wine and these fruit tones can complement the flavors in milk chocolate. 

Dark Chocolate and Wine:

This is where the drier and the darker is not always the better!  Dark chocolate is generally bold and pronounced and can hold up to a full-bodied tannic wine, such as a Cabernet or a Zinfandel,  but again watch that the wine is not too dry because it will cause the flavors to turn bitter.  Another pairing to try is the contrasting approach, such as pairing that dark chocolate with a sweet aged port.

Experiment on Your Own:

As always, there may be pairing suggestions – but they are only suggestions.  We all taste differently and the best pairing is really just one that you enjoy.  Here are a few tips to help you experiment.   Serve your chocolate at room temperature, this allows the flavors and the aromas of the chocolate to be more intense.  Limit your experimentation to about 5 or 6 different chocolates and wines, much more and you will overload your taste buds.  Again, taste from light to full-bodied, so that the flavors do not interfere with each other.  Lastly, but most important, do not be afraid to try something new and have fun!  

 Maria Milano, and her husband Steve Johnson, are the owners of Parallel 44 Vineyard & Winery, located 15 miles east of Green Bay in Kewaunee County.  Parallel 44 is open year round  and  hosts a Wine School and many food and wine pairing events.  If you are interested in learning more, call (888) 932-0044.