Chat with Vinny
Wine and chocolate are some of the most popular gifts. And it’s easy to see why … Two of life’s great pleasures, combined. But while we certainly enjoy them both, we might not often think about wine and chocolate together as a taste pairing.
Unlike pairing wine with steak or wine with cheese, wine and chocolate pairings can be tricky. Both chocolate and wine contain tannins that can compete to create complex mouthfuls. But when put together the right way, you can find a match that enhances the enjoyment of both.
Whether you’re a fan of smooth milk chocolate or bitter dark chocolate, there’s a wine out there for you.
Chocolate and wine pairings: the basics
What’s the secret behind the perfect chocolate and wine pairing? Matching intensity.
Rich chocolate demands equally rich wine, something strong enough to stand on its own. But you’re not just matching how rich your chocolate and wines are – you need to think about sweetness, acidity and texture. Pairing the wrong wine with the wrong chocolate can result in a confusing mix where you might not be able to taste one or the other.
Like wine, chocolate also contains tannins, a natural chemical compound found in cocoa beans that has a bitter, astringent taste. This is why dark chocolate tastes bitter and dries out your mouth slightly. Milk chocolate, as the name implies, lessens this by adding more dairy or sugar to the mix. When pairing wine and chocolate, it’s important to pay attention to tannin levels to find a perfectly balanced pairing.
Matching sweetness is also important to a balanced pairing. Sweeter foods such as chocolate should be paired with equally sweet, if not sweeter, wines for a well-rounded pairing. Dessert wines such as ice wines, late-harvest Riesling, Moscato or sweet red wines, and fortified wines such as Port, Sherry, Madeira and Banyuls all complement different types of chocolate well.
But, you don’t have to play it safe when it comes to wine and chocolate. This pairing leaves plenty of room for experimenting.
Pairing wine with milk chocolate
Arguably the nation’s favourite type of chocolate, milk chocolate is sweet and creamy, perfect for satisfying those mid-afternoon sugar cravings. Milk chocolate, with its lower tannin content and higher sugar count, needs a super smooth wine, ideally something with complementary sweetness.
Avoid bold red wines with plenty of tannins – they will overpower your milk chocolate. Try instead a light red wine with smooth, mellow tannins, such as a Merlot or Pinot Noir. These wines can even subtly offset the sweetness of the milk chocolate without overwhelming it.
Semi-sweet white wines can also complement milk chocolate excellently. Some Rieslings and Moscato d’Asti deliver strong acidity, floral scents and fruity tastes that cut through the richness of milk chocolate, producing a perfectly balanced taste.
If serving a milk chocolate dessert, go all the way and pair it with a sweet sparkling red wine.
Pairing wine with dark chocolate
Dark chocolate, with a high cocoa content, has a strong and typically bitter taste. This means it pairs well with sturdy red wines that can stand up to the richness of dark chocolate. However, it’s best to steer clear of very tannic reds, as combining the tannins from dark chocolate and wine can leave a bitter and harsh taste in your mouth.
Instead, consider a full-bodied, fruity red wine, such as a Californian Zinfandel. This style of wine matches up with dark chocolate’s strong and slightly bitter flavours, creating a pleasant balance of bitterness and fruitiness.
Red wines with hints of chocolate can align with dark chocolate, resulting in a complex and deeper flavour profile. A fantastic example is a luxurious red Amarone like our Bartolomeo Lorenzi Amarone 2020 is a weighty, velvety red with complementary hints of black cherry, damson, spice and matching dark chocolate, creating a delicious pairing with a variety of rich dark chocolate dishes.
Fortified wines such as Sherry, Banyuls, Madeira and Port are a perfect match for dark chocolate with their silky texture and intricate flavours. Look for bottles with complementary flavours of dried fruits, spices, coffee, nuts and burnt sugar.
Pairing wine with white chocolate
Despite the argument that white chocolate isn’t real chocolate because it doesn’t contain cocoa, white chocolate is still a popular sweet treat and an ingredient in many chocolate-based desserts.
The creamy sweetness of white chocolate finds its match in wines that complement its richness without overshadowing its subtle flavours. Consider a Gewürztraminer with its aromatic, warm spice notes, or a honey-sweet Chenin Blanc – both can balance out the sweet creaminess of white chocolate.
You could also pair it with a sweeter sparkling wine. A glass of Asti Spumante would add a refreshing fizz, creating a fun and playful contrast in the mouth.
Chocolate and wine dessert pairings
Chocolate cake
Medium- to full-bodied reds such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah make excellent companions to a slice of decadently rich chocolate cake. The solid tannins in these wines can counterbalance the richness of the cake, creating a pleasing contrast of flavours.
And for special occasions, what’s better than cake and fizz? A red sparkling wine is a refreshing partner for chocolate cake, and the lively bubbles and robust acidity help clear your palate of any leftover sweetness – priming you for another chocolatey bite.
Chocolate mousse
Choose a red dessert wine like Port or a fruity Zinfandel that can enhance the mousse’s creamy texture and chocolatey richness. Sweet sparkling wines make a good pairing, too, their acidity cutting through the rich creaminess and bubbles, complementing the airy texture while enhancing those rich chocolatey flavours.
Chocolate truffles
Chocolate truffles are a popular gift for those with a sweet tooth or who enjoy life’s little luxuries. With their rich taste and smooth texture, truffles go well with fruity dessert wines such as Ruby Port.
Alternatively, a glass of Champagne or Prosecco provides the right amount of acidity to counterbalance the richness of chocolate truffles and even out the flavours on your palate.
About the author
Nikki Jacoby
Nikki has spent all her career in wine, selling it first by the spoken word, then as a writer in the publishing world, before returning to work within the Laithwaites’ copy team for most of the last 30 years. Many years ago, she passed both halves of the diploma, but the greatest education in wine has been a full immersion in it, visiting the places and talking to its many passionate producers. As a topic, it will never cease to fascinate.
