Wines and Vines

It’s important to note that a good pairing will depend on the type of chocolate you’re savoring. Overall, you want to match bolder, darker chocolates with bigger wines and lighter, sweeter chocolates, like white or milk, with lighter wines. In my opinion, sweet and fortified wines work better with chocolate than dry wines. Before you start writing letters to disagree with me —I do acknowledge that there are some dry red wines, like Cabernet or Zinfandel, that can work wonderfully.

Without further ado, here are my suggested pairings for dark, milk and white chocolate. All you need to do is invite the right person and add some love.

There are actually several great choices when choosing a perfect partner for dark chocolate. One of my favorites is Brachetto d’Acqui from the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. Made primarily from the Brachetto grape, this red sparkling dessert wine has intense raspberry flavors with the perfect amount of sweetness for dark chocolate. Think of it as a raspberry sauce for your chocolate.

The bubbles also act to cleanse your palate before each new bite of dark chocolate.  The traditional favorite of chocolate lovers is Port and I especially like Tawny Port with chocolate. Tawny Ports are known for their dark rich flavors of raisins, toffee, caramel and nuts, which happen to all be great toppings for chocolate. These ports are named after their tawny color, which is obtained by aging the wine in oak. True Port wines are fortified wines from Portugal (called Porto), but great Tawny Port-style wines are made in Australia, the United States and South Africa.

Another fortified wine that is a great partner with dark chocolate is Banyuls. This dessert wine is made from the red grape, Grenache, in the Rousillon region of southern France. Like port, this wine is fortified with a distilled spirit made from grapes. This fortification takes place before fermentation is complete which leaves residual sugar (i.e. sweetness) in the wine. With a rich texture and flavors of raisins, plums, mocha and black cherries, this is the perfect partner to dark chocolate or, also, to enjoy all by itself!

Milk & White

White and milk chocolate require more delicate pairings. These are sweeter chocolates and don’t work with dry wines like dark chocolate does. One of my favorite pairings for these types of chocolates is Moscato d’Asti. Semi-sparkling or frizzante, this sweet white bubbly is made from the Moscato Bianco grape in Piedmont Italy, just like its red relative Brachetto. Perfumed floral aromas mix with flavors of ripe peach and pear. Moscato’s acidity keeps it from seeming too sweet and is a nice contrast to the creaminess of these chocolates. Also, due to its having a lower alcohol content than most wines (5-7%), you’ll be able to indulge just a bit more and still stay focused on your sweetheart.

Another great partner for white or milk chocolate is a fortified Muscat wine. There are some great French examples such as Beaumes de Venise and Muscat de Riveslates which are the classic standards. New world countries make their own versions of these Muscat-based dessert wines, including South Africa, California and Australia. In Australia, they call dessert wines, like Muscats, “stickies,” referring to their full, rich consistency. I especially like the Australian Muscats coming from the Rutherglen region because they are not only delicious but also a good value. Muscats are sweet and full bodied with the aromas of rose petal, ginger and orange as well as raisins. If you like Tawny Port you’ll love a Muscat!

This Valentine’s Day, no matter whether you are going out or staying in, there is a good wine to sip with your favorite chocolate indulgence. Just take into consideration the type of chocolate when choosing the right partner in order to ensure that the two complement each other. Just like for every person there is a soul mate; for every chocolate there is the right wine.

Laurie Forster, The Wine Coach® is a wine educator and author of The Sipping Point: A Crash Course in Wine. For more information on Laurie’s services or her book visit www.thewinecoach.com.