Valentine’s Day is approaching and there are many ways people express themselves and celebrate the holiday. Some choose a nice romantic dinner; others opt for flowers and cards, but how about some decadent chocolates and wine? Some will argue that chocolate and wine are not good mates, but Dezel thinks much differently; after all, my palate has never lied to me.
When paired correctly, chocolate and wine can be a match made in heaven. Of course there are some basic rules to follow such as when serving dark or bittersweet chocolate you want to look for a full and flavorful wine like a Cabernet Sauvignon or firmer Merlot. A stronger wine with ripe fruit and tannins will mute the bitterness of the chocolate and bring out a nice spectrum of flavors both in the chocolate and the wine. Beware friends, as this elegant combination can become quite addicting.
For milk chocolate, something softer and fruity like a nice cherry favoring Pinot Noir, a lighter styled Merlot, or if you are on the east coast a Cabernet Franc or jammy Norton will do the trick. These wines should highlight the chocolate and milk content while balancing the sweetness. Milk Chocolate and these styles of wine are some of my personal favorites to sit by the fireplace with and will marry quite nicely in your mouth! Trust Dezel on this one folks and try some soon; worry about the calories later, much later. Better yet, don’t worry, be happy!
What about the white wines you ask? Try something delectable, rich and buttery like white chocolate, which will marry well with a nice off-dry Riesling, an un-oaked and fruit driven Chardonnay, or some of those tasty Late Harvest and Noble Rot styled wines. These wines will compliment the vanilla, honey and other exotic flavors found in white chocolate. Be adventurous and try the full spectrum of off-dry and sweet and fruity white wines and let me know what works for you so I can try it as well. As I�m typing this Petit Manseng comes to mind so this weekend I will try Petit Manseng and White Chocolate. Any Petit Manseng lovers out there, raise your hands?
As with all rules friends, rule are meant to be broken, so try whatever you like and more importantly, what works for you. With a combination like wine and that sinful friend chocolate, there is definitely a combination out there that will work for you.
When you find the heavenly combination be sure and let all of us Wine Loggers know what it is. Dezel is always willing to try sweet things. Please do not run away with that, El Jefe.
Have a favorite combination already, tell us, what is it ??
Happy Sipping friends!
Dezel
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5 Responses to “Valentine’s Primer: Wine & Chocolate”
Hi Dezel - I’m intrigued by your white chocolate comments - also because I have a great fruity chardonnay from Van Der Heyden Vineyards (Napa Valley Estate Chardonnay 2002) that Jason and I are looking for an excuse to open.
Do you think it would go well with white chocolate? And more importantly, what white chocolate brands do you recommend?
Hello Kim,
I’m a stickler for Godiva branded White Chocolate. It’s creamy, not overly sweet and has a little pinch of honey and vanilla flavors. I think that a nice medium dry, tree/citrus fruit flavored Chardonnay with a touch of vanilla would pair nicely. This style of wine accentuates the creaminess and highlights the fruit flavors. If you decide to try it let me know how it works.
Your selection in my opinion sounds nice, so long as it is not one of those overly oaked Chards that would work better with smoked white meats opposed to white chocolate.
Dezel
Great post Dezel!
Kim - why not build a chocolate tasting around the wine? If it is fruity enough you may find some darker chocolates will pair well with it.
Also, consider a late bottled vintage port or a younger vintage port with dark bittersweet chocolate.
I concur that port and chocolate are a very workable combination. I’ve also found that Banfi’s Rosa Regale Brachetto d’Acqui is just about the most perfect match I’ve found with chocolate. They are great excuses to buy each other (as in: I’m going to buy some chocolate, so I should buy some Rosa Regale also).
I’ll be interested in hearing how white chocolate and white wine work together. Hadn’t thought of that one before.
Hello Friends,
Finally, the weekend is upon us and I plan to get out to several local wineries and do a little chocolate and wine tasting tomorrow. I hope to find more white chocolate, than dark, because that is my preference.
Since white chocolate is not a true chocolate and lacks the cocoa solids that makes dark, bittersweet and milk chocolate appealing with reds, white chocolate marries better with white wine. Due to its buttery, cream and vanilla like flavors I have not found a red that pairs well with white chocolate. Suggestions are welcomed however; Dezel is always accepting and trying pairing suggestions.
Chardonnays would actually be at the bottom of the totem pole for pairing, but are plenty doable if you can find one with a pinch of sweetness. A Riesling with a good sprinkling of residual sugar would be a prime candidate. What I hope to try tomorrow are a few Virginia Late Harvest Vidal Blancs and Late Harvest Viognier with white chocolate. These wines should enhance and pick up on the honey, vanilla, and possible fruit flavors of the white chocolate. So what Dezel suggest is a white wine, with a little residual sugar and average acidity; too much acidity and white chocolate is a no no. Anyhow, there are a great many white wines out there that fits in that category so if you try anything I hope to hear all about it.
Happy Sipping!
Dezel