Chocolate Wine Pairing

One guideline people usually live by in pairing food and wine is: light food go with light wines and heavy food go with heavy wines. Or by the old rule – primarily red with red meat and...white with fish and poultry.

Have you heard of Chocolate Wine Pairing?  This was totally foreign to me before my visit to Vero Chocolate Lounge, which I mentioned in my last blog entry.

The curious me went to do some research on what the experts have to say about this artful experience.  

Rule #1, typically the wine should be at least as sweet, if not a touch sweeter, than the chocolate you are serving it with. Otherwise, the taste may quickly veer towards bitter or sour.

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 varieties of chocolates, work from light to dark. Start with a more subtle white chocolate and end on a dark or bittersweet chocolate.

Some say it can’t be done, pairing wine with chocolate.  I think it's worth a try.

And if we have the right wine to complement the right chocolate, I can really imagine a match made in heaven!