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Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Wine & Chocolate Pairing 101



What could be more romantic for St. Valentine's Day than a box of chocolates and a terrific wine. Some say it can’t be done, pairing wine with chocolate, but if you have the right chocolate to complement the right wine, it can be a match made in heaven. Whether you are pairing a delicate white chocolate or a lively dark chocolate with wine, there are a few pairing tips to keep in mind.

Tips for Successful Pairings

MATCH STYLES - When pairing wines with chocolate, match lighter-flavored chocolates with lighter-bodied wines, and more intense-flavored chocolates with more full-bodied wines. In general, dark and bittersweet chocolates go best with stronger red wines while milk and white chocolates pair better with lighter reds and sweeter white wines.

THINK RED - Most white wines lack the muscle to stand up to chocolate's naturally robust flavors. If you prefer sweet white wines, such as a late-harvest wine, you'll have better luck with milk chocolates. However, the wines that match well with chocolate and make truly great combinations typically are not the dry red table wines people drink with meals. Leave the big, structured wines for food pairings and look for the lighter-bodied and fruitier wines that complement the fruitiness that is natural to most chocolate.

EMBRACE TEXTURE - The wines that work best have a rich textural element that match the texture, weight and creaminess of the chocolate. The perfect pairing also balances sweetness, fruitiness, and acidity.

THINK LIKE A CHEF - Flavors of chocolate in a wine do not necessarily mean that the wine will taste good with chocolate. Chocolate flavors are often found in dry red wines, which usually don't work well with chocolate. Seek wines that have the same flavor notes as the chocolate or look for contrasting flavors. The flavors that typically go with chocolate include things like raspberry, cherry and nuts.

KEEP IT SWEET - When pairing wine with dessert, choose a wine that is sweeter than the dessert. A wine that is drier than the chocolate or dessert is almost sure to make the match fall flat.

As with food and wine matches, only you are the arbiter of what works best. There are many kinds of chocolate preparations with different flavor profiles so no one wine is a universal match.

Have fun experimenting.