Valentine’s Day – The Perfect Time To Pair Wine & Chocolate

February 11th, 2009 by robin in wine lifestyle, wine tips

Chocolate and wine are simply fantastic together! If done right you can create the perfect ending to a romantic dinner.

Traditionally, the rule of thumb when pairing wine with chocolate is to always pick a wine as sweet as the chocolate. For this reason, dessert wines such as ruby ports, tawny ports, and ice wines are often the easy choice. Ruby ports are ports that are red in color. They tend to have strong cherry flavors and therefore can be paired well with chocolate covered cherries. A tawny port has a golden color due to being exposed to extended aging and oxidation in wood barrels. They tend to have caramel flavors and so should be coupled with caramels or caramel filled treats. Ice wine, which is a sweet dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine, is a great match for fans of white chocolate, which has a mellow buttery flavor.

So what if you are amongst the group of people who are not fans of dessert wines, but rather love a wonderful dry red wine? The sugary nature of many forms of chocolate can be a nemesis of dry red wines, creating a sour effect. Dark bittersweet chocolate, however, is a glorious companion to a rich red wine such as a Cabernet Sauvignon or Old Vine Zinfandel. The fuller the fruit flavor of the wine the better.

For the fans of sparkling wine or champagne, try a dark liquor filled chocolate or chocolate covered strawberries.

Regardless of your wine preference, there is an ideal mouthful of chocolate waiting for the right wine to create your perfect aphrodisiac. Enjoy!

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