Wine and Chocolate Pairings
When pairing wines with chocolate, your best bet is to match lighter, more elegant flavored chocolates with lighter-bodied wines; likewise, the stronger the chocolate, the more full-bodied the wine should be. For example, a bittersweet chocolate tends to pair well with an intense, in-your-face California Zinfandel.
Similar to formal
wine tasting, if you will be experimenting with several varities of chocolates, work from light to dark. Start with a more subtle white chocolate and end on a dark or bittersweet chocolate.
White Chocolate
- Red Wine
- Most red wines will over power the light flavors found in white chocolate, a Zinfandel might surprise you
- White Wine
- Orange Muscat
- Other
- Sherry, Moscato d’Asti
Milk Chocolate
- Red Wine
- Pinot Noir, a lighter-bodied Merlot
- White Wine
- Riesling, Muscat
- Other
- Dessert wines, Sparkling wine or Champagne, Ruby Port
Dark Chocolate
- Red Wine
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Merlot
- White Wine
- Typically white wines have a difficult time holding up to the bold flavors found in dark chocolate
- Other
- Tawny or Vintage Port
- Dislike, Not Drinkable
- Okay, Would not Recommend
- Like It, but Nothing Special
- Like It, Would Buy Again
- Love It, Always Keep on Hand
