Chocolate and wine pairings, the ultimate chocolate indulgence...

Master Chocolatier Michael Antonorsi, part-owner of Chuao Chocolatier and Master Sommelier Bobby Stockey, one of the only 50 master sommeliers in the world, partner/owner of Frasca Food & Wine Restaurant in Boulder Colorado and previously head Sommelier of the acclaimed restaurant “The French Laundry” in Napa Valley, have put together their taste buds and expertise to hand pick the finest wines to guarantee unusual, unexpected and delicious wine and chocolate experiences.

CREATING THE PERFECT PAIR

In general, pairing wines with chocolates is a very complex and rich adventure.

The Most Important Rule
When pairing wines with chocolate it is important to watch out for the distance between the level of sweetness of the wine and the chocolate, which should be kept short.

The chocolate can be slightly sweeter than the wine or the wine can be slightly sweeter than the chocolate. If the chocolate is much sweeter than the wine this will only enhance the bitter aspects of the wine and leave a bitter experience. If the wine is much sweeter than the chocolate this will saturate your taste buds and you will not enjoy the complexities of the chocolate flavors. Once this is understood we can approach the different types of wine with the different types of chocolate.

Milk or Dark? Red or White?
In general, you can match milk chocolate with white wines and champagnes (preferably Demi-Sec or Rosé) and dark chocolate with red wines.
Dessert wines can cross over and find matches with different types of confections depending on their fillings and flavor characteristics.

Tannins are not chocolate friendly. Therefore, a big wine with rich tannins will be a better match with meats and other savory dishes than with chocolate. Fruit forward wines pair better with chocolate confections that have fruit caramels and other herbal and spicy flavors.

SWEET DESSERT WINES AND FORTIFIED WINES

Banyuls is a fortified wine like Port but from the Southern most AOC in France. It is made from Grenache. Many people think of this as one of the great sweet wines to pair with chocolate. The tannins are rounder and softer than those of vintage port but still with the sweetness. Banyuls can come in two styles and the one that is better suited to chocolate pairing is the Rimage. This is a vintage style that is grapey and soft. The softer style tannins help with a cross over of flavors and sweetness.

Tawny ports are ports that have been aged in wood. With this they become less about fruit and more about the spice and nuts. Also more delicate than other Ports.

Reciotos are the sweet wines made in the Veneto region in Northern Italy. Sweet and figgy with flavors of chocolate and raisins. When I taste these wines blind I think of the candy Raisinettes that you see at the movie theater. Wonderful for dark chocolate.

RED WINES LIKE CABERNETS, MERLOT, ZINFANDEL AND OTHERS

Rich tannin cabernets will always offer a challenge when paired with chocolates or any kind of sweets. If the wine is ripe and the tannic acids have rounded up you could find a match with darker bitter-sweet chocolate that offers more spice or earthy herbal notes.

Merlot offers a wider range of options and some fruit-forward, low-tannin merlot would work fine with some of the dark chocolate confections, making sure that the sweetness rule is not broken.

Zinfandel wine makers offer some late harvest style wines that are rich and complex with some residual sugar increasing their sweetness and fruit notes.

CHAMPAGNE, SPARKLINE WINES AND WHITE WINES

Dry white wines and oaky chardonnays are better suited for savory meals but some late harvest wines, fortified wines, Rieslings and Ice wines can offer a great match with milk chocolates.

Muscat Beaumes de Venise: These are great value sweet wines. From the southern region of Rhone, France they are called “vins doux naturels”. They are white sweet wines that have flavors of orange peel and spice. They work well with some milk chocolates but reach their heights with dark chocolates.

Some of the sparkling wines can be a great match with chocolates, specially the sweeter styles like the “Demi-Sec” and Rosé. Very dry champagne like Brut and extra brut are not the best match for chocolate since the sweetness of the chocolate will exaggerate the bitterness of the wine.

Demi-Sec, Rosé, some frisantes and espumantes that have some sweetness and fruit to them will go great with milk chocolate and some fruitful dark chocolates.