When I first started learning about bean-to-bar chocolate, I heard one thing over and over again from both chocolate experts and sommeliers: Wine and chocolate don’t mix. What?! I thought. Everyone else in the world loves that pairing!
The problem is that both of these have a lot of tannins, and when they come together, they clash more than Jennifer Gray and Patrick Swayze (Dirty Dancing trivia over here). Don’t despair though, because there are some ways to enjoy your favorites together.
The number one tip: Choose sweeter wines.
I’m not suggesting Manischewitz or those dreadful wine coolers we all drank in college! Sophisticated fortified wines like sherry and port pair delightfully with chocolate, and often have chocolatey notes of their own. The two also share notes of dried fruit (think cherries) and balance each other well.
I like Niepoort LBV Port with dark chocolate quite a bit. Recently I led a chocolate-wine tasting with Sommbody’s Wine, and we chose a German Riesling and a French Vouvray that worked gorgeously with two single-origin chocolates and a dark milk chocolate.
In other words, there are so many ways to make this combo work. I’d love to taste them all with you at your next birthday party, corporate team-building activity, or bridal shower!
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