Top 5 Wine and Chocolate Pairings for Valentine’s Day

• Posted on 6 February 2018
• Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Moscato, pinot noir, Port, Shiraz, zinfandel
• 0

What’s the best wine for your favorite style of chocolate? We’ve got some suggestions for you.

5. Shiraz or Zinfandel and Spiced Chocolate – Especially if the wine has a little residual sugar, the spice flavors in Shiraz and Zinfandel will highlight notes of cinnamon, chili or ginger in the chocolate.  

4. Pinot Noir and Milk Chocolate – While many pairing recommendations favor sweeter wines with milk chocolate, we have found that a fruity Pinot Noir is a great alternative if you don’t want sweet wine. 

3. Moscato d’Asti and White Chocolate – The fruity sweetness of Moscato d’Asti and the buttery smoothness of white chocolate pair very well. The acidity and bubbles of the wine will help cut through the richness of the chocolate.  

2. Cabernet or Malbec and Dark Chocolate – Pairing red wine and dark chocolate is a little tricky since both have tannins and can cause bitter flavors, especially in the wine.  To avoid this, choose a high percentage cocoa chocolate (i.e 90%) so that the tannin of the chocolate is a little more than the wine. This will help pair against the tannins in the wine and let more of the wine’s fruit flavors show through.        

1. Port and pretty much all chocolate – The sweetness in port is generally as sweet as, or sweeter than, the chocolate so it won’t make the chocolate taste bitter. Ruby ports play well with chocolates that include fruit, while tawny ports go with chocolates that include nuts or caramel.