Chocolate is the confectionery match to wine. Perhaps this is because the process of making chocolate is very simliar to wine. Both cocoa beans and wine are fermented with the very same type of yeast. No wonder there are so many wine and chocolate lovers! Chocolate is the confectionery match to wine. Despite the affinity for one another, many wine and chocolate pairings fight for the same ‘palate space’ making the whole experience taste like crap. Fortunately for you, there are wine and chocolate pairings that will induce a standing orgasm… Let’s take a look at the very best wine and chocolate pairings imaginable. If you’re into technicalities, white chocolate isn’t really ‘chocolate’ because it doesn’t include cocoa, just cocoa fat. This little fact makes it one of the more versatile pairings with wine. Recommended Wines Rosé Port, Ice Wine, Muscat, Orange Muscat, Moscato d’Asti, Sweet Tokaji, Vintage Port, Lambrusco (Dolce or Amabile), Brachetto d’Acqui

Tastes Like Strawberries The new style of Port, Rosé Port, adds nuances of strawberries. Good with Macadamia Nuts A Muscat such as Muscat de Frontignan will add tropical fruit flavors–a great fit for white chocolate macadamia nut cookies! Blueberries and Cream A bottle of 2000 Vintage Graham’s Port makes a white chocolate pairing taste like blueberries and cream. A truly great milk chocolate will appease even the most ardent dark chocolate lover. For instance, did you know the ethereal ganache on the inside of truffles is usually half cream and chocolate? The cream adds a little extra fat so you will find it working better with more wines than dark chocolate. Recommended Wines Moscatel de Setubal, Montilla-Moriles, PX Sherry, Creamy Sherry, Rasteau, Aged Vintage Port, Rutherglen Muscat Simulating Caramel A well-aged Montilla-Morales like Bodegas Toro Albalá will make you think you just popped a caramel in your mouth. The Chocolate Cake Effect I’ve served several diners who were drinking a Shiraz with chocolate cake.

It’s possible that the addition of starches and fat to a chocolate cake may work with more dry-style red wines. (What do you think?) What is the best way to enjoy Chocolate? TCHO Chocolate recommends that you break your chocolate bar into small bitesize pieces. Listen for the ‘snap.’ –the crisper the break, the better tempered your chocolate is. Don’t chew your chocolate, just place it on your tongue and let it melt in. 53% Milk Chocolate by Tcho Chocolates in SF. Caramel adds sweet salinity to chocolate. Caramel chocolates are the perfect harmony of sweet, salty, fat and bitter. Pairing wine with caramel chocolate can either be congruent or complimentary. Congruent Wine Pairing PX Sherry, Vin Santo, Cream Sherry, 20 year Tawny Port, Moscatel de Setubal, Madeira, Amontillado Sherry Complimentary Wine Pairing Moscato d’Asti, Demi-Sec Champagne (a sweet champagne), Brachetto d’Acqui, Asti-Spumante, Lambrusco (Dolce or Amabile) Sometimes the perfect flavor combination is found in the strangest place.

A wine that’s usually disregarded as a simple cooking wine, like Cream Sherry, does wonders with salty sweet flavors. best at home wine coolersCream Sherry is actually an Oloroso Sherry that has been sweetened, usually with the Pedro Ximénez (PX) grape. the best red wine brand in indiaLustau offers a cream sherry that’s worth drinking straight.best casual wine bars Pink Salt Caramel Dark Chocolate by Theo Chocolates in Seattle.best wine for romantic date A true dark chocolate has a minimum of 35% cocoa solids, but the numbers get even higher than that. where can i buy wine away in australia

There are 99% dark chocolate bars out there that will dominate you. Dark chocolates typically don’t like to share ‘palate space’ with other bitter, non-sweet things like a high tannin Mourvedre.best full bodied red wine for cooking Recommended Wines Vin Santo, Port, Late Harvest Zinfandel, Banyuls, Maury and believe it or not: Chinatobest wine bars village nycPeanut butter cups are serious business. box of wine shippingWith all nutty chocolates, such as almonds, hazelnuts and peanuts, look for a wine that accentuates the nutty flavors. top wine in india with priceAmontillado Sherry with a Reeses is unforgettable. Amontillado Sherry, Oloroso Sherry and Madeira

What about flavored Chocolates? There are many chocolate flavorings out there like mint, cherry, and even spices like chile or ginger. When attempting flavored chocolate wine pairing, focus on the accenting the flavor. 70% Dark Chocolate Mint by Theo Chocolate in Seattle A Syrah Port often has nuanced notes of eucalyptus that will bring out the mint taste. Basic Wine Guide Poster Supercharge your wine smarts with a beautiful (and useful) poster. Tactile information you can put to use the next time you pop a bottle. A special thank you to Ashleigh @TCHOchocolate for all the help with chocolate! for all the sommelier food pairings. Thank you to expert Rina Bussell Do you like this post?THE STORY SO FAR: I’m in the chocolate capital of the world, Brussels—a city known for its abundance of chocolate factories, and streets lined with boutiques selling every kind of artisan confectionery imaginable. On my first evening my host produces a cardboard box—purchased directly from the factory—containing some of the most luxurious chocolates I have had the good fortune to taste.