You love good wine. You love fine chocolate. Is it possible to love them together? You can if the wine is red and the chocolate is a semisweet or dark. Pairing wine and chocolate can be tricky because if the chocolate is too sweet it can bring out the astringency of the wine, especially one with deep tannins, like a Cabernet Sauvignon. Dark chocolates are a better match for most red wines, and with the Cabernet, the darker the better. A Merlot will stand up better to a chocolate with a slightly lower cocoa content, and Zinfandel is an excellent partner for fruit and chocolate desserts. Milk chocolates may pair well with a Pinot Noir, Riesling, or better yet, a Ruby Port; try these with a chocolate-drizzled cheesecake or a fluffy mousse. White chocolate, with its quiet butteriness, is an ideal pairing for a light, sparkling Moscato d’Asti or a Sherry. A nice fruity Muscat will compliment any fruit flavors in a white chocolate concoction. For simple decadence, try pairing chocolate covered strawberries with a Champagne or sparkling wine.
If, however, you prefer not to have to experiment to find the perfect wine and chocolate pairing, you may choose to let the winery do it for you. There are several wineries that produce a chocolate flavored or chocolate-infused wine. California’s Rosenblum Cellars uses fine chocolate from Wisconsin to create a rich dessert wine; Florida’s Naples Winery produces a chocolate wine fermented with orange juice; Oregon’s Shallon Winery has mastered the art of blending a fine orange wine with six different international chocolates for a superb quality wine. Arguably one of the best chocolate wines in the world comes out of Holland. Blended by one of the most noted Dutch cream manufacturers, the wine – called ChocoVine – is recognized worldwide for excellence and decadence. Made with rich, dark Holland chocolate and a fine Cabernet – both high in antioxidants – this wine not only tastes good, it’s good for you, too!
