If you think that a wine and cheese party is clichéd, throw a wine and chocolate party instead! Like cheese, not all wines complement every variety. Just Wines broadly classifies chocolate and shares with you everything you need to know for wine and chocolate pairing!
1. Dark Chocolate
While it is the healthiest of all chocolate varieties, pairing dark chocolate with wine can be tricky. Those who have tried having dark chocolate with a dry red wine would know that this combination results in a bitter, somewhat sour and all in all unpleasant taste. This is because both dark chocolate and dry reds contain flavanols, which are naturally occurring compounds that can be thought of as tannins. Hence, opt for a drink which is low in tannins. A fruity one will ensure that the bitterness of the chocolate is balanced out. This means wines like Merlot and Durif.
2. Milk Chocolate
While dark chocolate is high in cocoa, milk chocolate is mostly part chocolate and part cream. It is rich, creamy and instantly likeable with nothing jumping out in terms of flavour, unless the chocolate is flavoured or has a filling. It is this flavour profile that makes milk chocolate the easiest category to pair with wine. The key here is to ensure that the chocolate is not sweeter than the wine, or the drink, once again, would taste bitter. Opt for a wine which is at least as sweet as the chocolate. Also, it should complement the chocolate texturally. Pairing a rich milk chocolate with a light wine is a no-no. This means sweet and dessert wines are the best match for milk chocolate. Rutherglen Muscat is heavenly with it. So is Topaque, which is fortified.
3. White Chocolate
For those who are unaware, white chocolate is technically not a chocolate. It contains no cocoa solids, though it does have cocoa butter. No cocoa solids means no flavanols. That makes it rich, but delicate – the easiest chocolate to pair, of the three categories we are listing in this post. Have it with Pinot Noir. The richness from the fat brings out the berry and cherry flavours of Pinot Noir much more prominently. Alternately, go for any botrytis or noble rot wine.
