# Chocolate and Wine pairing



## aguynamedrobert (Oct 26, 2006)

Has anyone done any wine and chocolate Pairing before? I work with chocolate but am not very into wine....although I would love to work with a sommelier to pair them one time and get a feel for the two working together....has anyone done this yet?

-Robert
www.chocolateguild.com/vb


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## cape chef (Jul 31, 2000)

Strictly talking about dessert wines, Port, whether vintage, Tawney or Ruby as well as LBV's work beautifully with chocolate. Also Madeira's. The key to the match up is the type of chocolate that's highlighted. Bittersweet, unsweetened, semisweet, white, milk etc. All these chocolates offer different levels of bitterness and tannins. I recommend doing a tasting. With that said, many dry reds go with chocolate, but this becomes a bit more of a challenge. Complete contrasts work well when really thought out. Example, Port with Stilton, Sauterne with Foie gras. Here we match savory, fatty and salty with sweet. Probably the most important thing to keep in mind is that the wine HAS to be as sweet or sweeter than the chocolate or you have the toothpaste orange juice syndrome.


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## castironchef (Oct 10, 2005)

I'm rather partial to a nice tannic cabernet with chocolate.


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## cape chef (Jul 31, 2000)

What attributes do you find coalesce with a big tannic Cabernet and chocolate? Also, what type of chocolate (not brand) are you eating with the wine?


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## castironchef (Oct 10, 2005)

I, regrettably, don't have the talent of writing about or describing tastes, especially when it comes to wine. I am not one of those tasters who can describe "cola, winter melon, fig, etc." when tasting wine. I taste wine, not those other things (with minor exceptions).

When it comes to chocolate, I prefer dark/bittersweet. Thus, I prefer a stronger, more full bodied wine to compliment it. 

To me, neither the dark chocolate nor the tannic red wash each other out, as it would with either milk chocolate or a light, fruity red. Further, while both have strong flavors, they seem to "reset" my taste buds, making the next taste of the other one "fresh."

I hope that the above makes sense.


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## aguynamedrobert (Oct 26, 2006)

I see that a few of you have a good amount of knowledge when it comes to pairing specific wines with chocolate(In the broad terms of chocolate). Has anyone Paired certain wines with chocolate from different origins around the world? Actually paired the unique flavors of those chocolates with the wines? Just throwing it out there because it has not been done much yet...

Robert
www.chocolateguild.com


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## aprilb (Feb 4, 2006)

I'm not a professional wine sniffer by any means but I know what I like. :beer: :lips: :crazy: 

They have a fine selection of very dark bodied wines as well as Cabs that are great. Certain Aussie Pinot Noir's and Yellowtail Shiraz both hold their own against other strong flavors. I don't know of the Pinot but I know there are a few available here that have a nice fruit undertone.

The shiraz is great but it also has a strong chocolate undertone of its own. (depending on the year) 

I like a burgundy for drinking but really dislike the "thin" tart types. (my tastebud definition...)

I think the idea of pairing wine with chocolate is on the surface odd, but makes tons of sense. How many gourmet gift baskets do you see with truffles, chocolate covered fruit and bottles of fine wine? Heaps.

Anyway...this is an interesting question.

April


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## m brown (May 29, 1999)

champagne and truffles= wonderful:smiles: 

cab sav and medium dark chocolate = heaven:roll: 

port and 72 % dark chocolate= omg:crazy: 

don't forget truffle fudge brownies and scotch = there are no words 

raspberry double chocolate chip cookie and rose champagne = get out of jail free card:bounce: 

milk chocolate and iced vodka = ohh:lips: 
vodka cuts the sweet and fat... just for fun, like an interactive chocolate martini :smoking: 

so, yeah, chocolate and wine/spirits they kind of can work


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## myplaceoryours (Nov 20, 2006)

I'd like to pair a Vin Santo (a dessert wine) with dark chocolate.


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## jim berman (Oct 28, 1999)

Rosa Regale (used to be Barchetto di Aqui) from Banfi is a fantastic sparkling that goes superb with chocolate.


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## m brown (May 29, 1999)

I am a lucky girl, Banfi is right down the steet and I have had the pleasure of cooking there, touring and tasting. 
The rosa regale is wonderful and really festive with the desserts. At our truffle and champagne tasting we always offered it and it always was a hit!:bounce:


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## jim berman (Oct 28, 1999)

Well, I no longer like you!!  Delaware has very tight controls over the quantity of specific brand imports... and Banfi has a very, very small limit. As such, Rosa Regale is nearly impossible to get. Next time you go there, perhaps you could send me a cork or the label from the bottle!


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## ted hudgins (Jan 16, 2007)

I've had some interesting attempts at matching red wine & chocolate with varying degrees of success. Port is good, depending on the type of port and the chocolate, as Cape alluded to. Robert Parker has gone on record (and I agree) that the only wine to go with chocolate is a late harvest grenache from Southwest France called Banyuls.

On a related note, I have enjoyed Mole Poblano and big, powerful zinfandels on a number of occcasions.


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## culprit (Nov 8, 2006)

Because pairing "wine" with "chocolate" involves mating a wide range of wine with a wide range of chocolate (there are countless combinations) this can get pretty complicated. This web site:

http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/mai...ine2.asp#chart

includes a guide that I sometimes use when I'm uncertain. It may help answer your question(s)


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## myron (Jan 18, 2007)

I understand that your question deals with pairing wine and chocolate but I would like to add a bit of a twist for you to consider. Dark chocolate pairs beautifully with good Scotch whiskey (Johnny Walker Black Label or, if you're feeling a bit full in the wallet, Johnny Walker Blue Label would be my first two choices) Because it is a liqueur based on a Scotch whiskey foundation, you might also want to consider Drambuie with dark chocolate.
There are other liquor and liqueur considerations (e.g Southern Comfort) but those I've listed here are some of my favorites.


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## jenyfari (Jan 19, 2007)

I am by no means an expert but I know what I like and I like a good port with my chocolate.


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## someday (Aug 15, 2003)

I second that a nice big Zin is a great pairing for chocolate.


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## monk (Jul 21, 2006)

I have not been able to match a red wine (dry or sweet) to chocolate that has not been other than 'OK'. I tend to match chocolate to a tawny port, or, as others have listed, distilled spirits. My science background makes me propose that our preferences are affected by how our palates integrate red wine tannins with a given chocolate formulation - the match is not a good one for me - one overwhelms the other. Nonetheless, a good topic for a research grant?!??


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## aguynamedrobert (Oct 26, 2006)

I am actually doing a chocolate tasting for a food group in Sacramento this next month and the operator of the group wanted to do a Chocolate and Port pairing...so thanks for the port suggestion...

Could someone please describe to me what type of alcohol Port is...Bascially, what makes Port Port and how many different kinds are there?

Thanks All,
Robert
www.chocolateguild.com


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## monk (Jul 21, 2006)

Hello Robert -
Directly, a good source on things Port and wine like is the 'Wine Bible', by Karen McNeil. A reasonably priced paperback that is an excellent reference. The following paragraph is from Wikipedia: 
Port is produced from grapes grown and processed in the Douro region (of Portugal), the wine produced is then fortified with the addition of distilled grape spirits in order to boost the alcohol content. The wine is then stored and aged, often barrels stored in _caves_ (_Portuguese_ meaning "cellars") as is the case in Vila Nova de Gaia, before being bottled. The wine received its name, "Port" in the latter half of the 17th century from the seaport city of Porto at the mouth of the Douro River, where much of the product was brought to market or for export to other countries in Europe from the Leixões docks. The Douro valley where Port wine is produced was defined and established as a protected region, or appellation in 1756 - thus making it the oldest defined and protected wine region in the world.
(The addition of spirits stops fermentation, so ther is 'lots' of residual sugar left in the port - hence the sweetness and ability to long age.)
Port comes in varied types, of varied quality. Ruby Port is very sweet, and not complex in flavor. Next up is Port, and it can be Late Bottled (meaning it stayed in barrel longer than usual), simply Port, or Vintage Port (the producers have declared that vintage is especially noteworthy.) All are very complex and rich in flavors - vintage stuff needs long ageing. If one leaves the port in barrel a 'long' time (10, 20, 30 years plus), you get tawny port - all the red colors have been 'bleached' out by the barrel. Red ports are full of fruit flavors, while tawny's are nutty and not very fruity. I lova them all, save the Ruby. I hope this helps!


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## aguynamedrobert (Oct 26, 2006)

Thanks for the info....that actually helps a lot...now I at least have a base of what Port is! thanks again

Robert
www.chocolateguild.com


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## even stephen (Oct 10, 2005)

Last night I did a pretty little course for a wine tasting.
The wine was a pretty big merlot. I blended a little highend
bittersweet chocolate ganache with a good quality goat cheese.
Not to much, just enough to make the goat cheese a light
tan. A little fresh ground black pepper. Got some Medjool
sundried dates from california, took the pit out, opened them
and piped the goat cheese in. Pretty darn tasty, so, yes,
you can pare chocolate with wine. Sometimes you need to do
it in varying degrees. I often put slivers of chocolate out in the
wine bar here. Dates, apricots, marcona almonds, dried cherries as
well. I have also done wine tastings followed by chocolate tastings.


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## tilion (Oct 30, 2006)

I was sitting here scanning the forum with a glass of old vine Zin and some Dagobah chocodrops when I came across this thread. Yes! Good hearty reds go with good dark chocolate. At least for me. I don't like ports with dark chocolate because I think the sweetness of the port overwhelms the chocolate. But milk chocolate with an nice extra dry (not brut) champagne? mmm-mmm-good!


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## davewest (May 19, 2007)

Select a Brachetto d'Acqui. 

Cool, frizzante, strawberry flavor to refresh with the chocolate.


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## bluezebra (May 19, 2007)

Hi I'm new to the boards and hope you don't mind me jumping in!

I've had a little experience with truffles and or chocolate and wine pairings. It's one of my most favorite dessert experiences. I generally serve a cheese and fruit board following it with port, cognac or spirits so like to serve the truffle course with wines.

Some of our favorites to date (btw, the truffles are made with bittersweet chocolate using 60 and 72% chocolates). I make the truffles myself using Alice Medrich's base truffle recipe. My chocolate coatings are untempered again per AM, because of the immediate explosion on the tongue that untempered chocolate gives compared to tempered. When you combine this with a full bodied "big" red, it's pretty close to orgasmic or at least a "double moaner"! haha.

The wines we've experimented most with are:

California Cabs - Sinsky, Trefethen, Smith & Hook all have beautiful full bodied reds. They have a fairly fruit forward bouquet and initial mouth burst to them but there are very dark, chewy undertones, that could be a little tobacco-ish, chocolately, currant or blackberry, and even a bit of pencil shaving taste the them. The best term I can use to discribe them is "chewy". You know it when you taste it cuz it makes you want to move your lower jaw in almost a chewing motion. Hard to explain.

Another really yummy pairing is a big full bodied devilish Zin. There are so many of these out there in various price ranges and even the Cardinal Zin and Goliath Rex work very pleasantly. I would say they tend more toward the acidic side but with the chocolate, they really highlight and bring out the sweetness of even bittersweet.

Another favorite is a blend called a Meritage. I don't have a favorite vinyard for this. But again, it's full bodied too. Pinot Noirs are very good as well. 

I don't tend to like shiraz with this because I feel that it is too "shallow" and tannic in generally although shiraz or cab-shiraz are among my favorite wines.

I don't often do champagne with truffles because it's too common and expected and I would rather do champagne with our appetizer courses. (Champaign and caper berries and strong aged cheeses...mmmmm, luxury!)

Anyway, hope this helps. I'm far from a connossieur (heck I can't even spell it!) but I do have pretty pronounced personal preferences!

Mangia!


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## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

I like to use white port as an alternative to tawny, ruby or other ports.
It is great in the summer, well chilled - as an alternative to fino sherry. I like it with petit four at the end of a meal.

One of my favourites is Taylor's Chip Dry.
Here's the Taylor site Taylor's Port | The Home of Port


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## jes888 (May 21, 2007)

With chocolate I have found Rosa Regali a sparkling red goes very well. I have done banquets where we had a chocolate fountain and the guests were just thrilled.


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## david jones (Jan 15, 2000)

Cape Chef, is it time for one of my Hippocratic rants with regard to wine pairing??? Just give the word.

I personally love "tinkering" with chocolate and wine, because when all is said and done, you've had lots of chocolate and lots of wine.

Rose Champagne (Billecarte-Salmon) and Cali Zin with firm tannins and great fruit are still my favorites. I hope to continue my full-scale research on this topic.


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## fodigger (Jul 2, 2001)

As with most things there are no hard and fast rules. What matters most is that you like it. With all do respect to Mr. Parker I love a Stags Leap Cab. w/ a good bittersweet chocolate.
I also like Eagle Rare and Woodford Reseve Both really good Bourbons w/ bittersweet chocolate.


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## bluezebra (May 19, 2007)

ROFL! Love IT! I think Chef Jones has definitely got it. I feel the same way!!!  :beer:


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## psycho chef (Feb 1, 2007)

We are serving a Valhrona chocolate souffle with a 1974 sweet Roussillon we found a case of hiding in some corner of the cellar. It is like a mellow version of port, just as sweet but not as alcoholic. It goes well with the souffle because the chocolate is lightened by the egg whites so most ports tend to overpower it(except our 1960 Dow).


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## lazar89 (Jun 29, 2016)

When matching wine to chocolate the key essence in successful pairing is ensuring the sweet tastes complement each other...The darker the chocolate, the heavier the wine should be.

Similarly the lighter the wine the more elegant the chocolate should be.

I love pairing white chocolate with sweet dessert wines (a glass of Elysium from the Quady Winery in California for example or any select bottle from the Dolce Winery who specialize in dessert wines).

Milk chocolate goes well with the lighter bodied reds such as merlot or pinot noir.

When pairing dark chocolate Shiraz, Zinfandels and Cabernet Sauvignon are  excellent choices.If you want to pair the bittersweet dark chocolate - Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Ruby Ports.


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## apron (Jul 14, 2016)

Hello everyone, This is Apron,

       I am not really a wine drinker but do like white wine or champagne.  I do like chocolate and tend to go for the dark type of chocolate.  I believe dark chocolate is the best health wise whereas white is rather like a fat, milk chocolate is not really chocolate.  There was I believe a war over chocolate with foreign countries as to the fact that British chocolate was not being given to the public properly as it was not proper chocolate but that France and Germany were giving their public proper chocolate and they told the British to stop cheating the British public.  I love German chocolate, and Austrian is my favourite.  Red wine is very good for people I believe.  I believe it has to be a certain number to be a good one.  My step father used to tell me this.  May I ask which countries chocolate would you consume and why?  Also which countries wine would you consume and why?


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## abefroman (Mar 12, 2005)

Try to do opposites, for example if you have a high cocao content South American chocolate, pair it with a sweeter wine, or where if you have a sweeter Belgian chocolate pair it with a dryer wine.

Sparkling wines go really well, as well as old world wines.


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## midlife (Jan 1, 2016)

>>"Red wine is very good for people I believe. I believe it has to be a certain number to be a good one."


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## foodieforlife36 (Sep 26, 2016)

Ugh this would be my favorite thread! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/laser.gif


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## eastpakhammer (Jan 21, 2017)

Typically you match with Dark chocolate, milk chocolate doesn't compliment the wine too well.
Dark chcolate and ginger is a perfect blend to match with the likes of a bold Merlot or Rioja. The fruity taste compliments the sharp bitterness of the dark chocolate


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## sgsvirgil (Mar 1, 2017)

Pairing red wines with chocolate is like pairing a novice rider with a skiddish horse.  The two almost never work well together and there is a reason for that.  The tannins and sugar of the chocolate wage a war with the tannins and alcohol of the wine.  The only casualties are your taste buds, your wallet and in some cases, your reputation. 

We all have different tastes and preferences.  In recognition of that fact, it is not my intent to malign those who like red wine and chocolate.  Some actually like the dissonance created by red wine and chocolate.  However, in my experience, there are far more who do not like the pairing of red wine and chocolate than there are those who like it.  The two together are most definitely an acquired taste. Like one commenter said, red wine and chocolate creates the "toothpaste orange juice syndrome."  

Here is the inherent problem with red wine and chocolate. 

Fantastic chocolates and fantastic red wines are fantastic for the same reason:  their tannins.  In the world of food and wine pairing, tannin + tannin = bad.  Tannin + fat = good (hence, the sublime glory of fatty foods, such as whipped cream, with chocolate or a big red wine with an excellent steak).  But, when the tannins that make each of these culinary delights so wonderful clash, the result is almost always a negative experience.  Throw in the chaos created by alcohol, who owes no debt of loyalty to either the wine or the chocolate, and the experience will almost certainly go sideways.  The true tragedy here is the taster will almost certainly miss out on the true beauty of the red wine or the decadent seduction of the chocolate.  Rarely, if ever, will they have both. 

The general rule is pair chocolate with dessert wines that are just as sweet or sweeter than the chocolate.  Dessert wines typically have "soft" tannins accompanied by moderate to high acidity and high sugar content.  The acidity (and alcohol) prevents the wine from tasting like syrup.  Meanwhile, the sugar tends to disarm the higher alcohol content of the dessert wine. 

The marriage of dessert wines and chocolate can be a truly bewitching experience, when done right.  The choice of dessert wines and chocolates is a matter of preference, as is 99% of the art of wine pairing.  If you do not have the experience, there are many people and resources out there that can point you in the right direction given the dynamics at play such as budget, experience of the tasters, vintage availability, types of chocolates and so on.


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## mikki donaldson (Mar 16, 2017)

Oh wow... I never knew this!  I also thought the two were the perfect pair.   Goodness.  Now I know that I should use a dessert wine instead of just any bottle of red wine.  This makes me happy.  Now that I have the time to cook and to read, I expect I will learn a lot more useful information like this.  thanks so much!


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## steve tphc (Sep 18, 2012)

I actually love quality chocolate with a fruit-forward jubilant red wine. If I was wealthy, the wine would be a Pommard. As far as chocolate, I adore See's.


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## gards (Apr 21, 2014)

I am perplexed and curious. You love quality chocolate and you adore See's. Does this mean See's is quality chocolate in your opinion?


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## steve tphc (Sep 18, 2012)

gards said:


> I am perplexed and curious. You love quality chocolate and you adore See's. Does this mean See's is quality chocolate in your opinion?


I lived in Italy for 7 years, I have traveled to France. I am familiar with Swiss and Belgium Chocolates. See's is the best chocolate I have ever tasted! On a scale of 1 to 10, it is a ten.


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## Loredana Canalis (Aug 3, 2017)

I have find an amazing product in Avvenice, that is chardonnay with chocolate taste. I see it in Cibus and then i find it online in Avvenice. it's amazing and is called Chocolate in a Bottle - Belgian Chocolate with French Wine


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## Loredana Canalis (Aug 3, 2017)

https://avvenice.com/en/prosecco-sp...rdonnay-with-belgian-chocolate-sparkling.html

Why not chocolate and wine in the same bottle ?


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