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| Chocolate + Wine Pairings |
Ingredients
Chocolates
Wines
Cooking Instructions
Pairing basics:
**Sweet chocolates require sweet wines. A sweeter [tad bit] wine is better. Otherwise, pairings taste sourish.
**Match lighter, elegant flavored chocolates with lighter-bodied wines.
**Pair bittersweet chocolates [strong flavored] with robust, in-your-face, Zinfandels or Cabernets.
**Match the nuances of chocolates to the nuances of wine, ie., fruity flavors, dark roast, smokiness........
**If sampling lots of chocolates, start with light progressing to dark. White chocolate to dark, bittersweet ones.
**Chocolates cover the spectrum from actual chocolate pieces or bars to chocolate desserts like chocolate cheesecake, brownies, truffles, chocolate dipped fruit.
Tasting Basics:
For bliss, begin by sampling the vino. Allow its flavors to fully saturate your mouth.
Then take a bite of the chocolate. Let it slowly melt on your tongue. Sip the wine again. Mmmmm.
Savor heaven on earth!!
Pairing Suggestions:
White chocolate [not a true chocolate] - Try a sec or demi-sec Champagne, or the hint of orange in a muscato. Others include Rieslings + Gewürztraminers.
Milk Chocolate - sweetest of chocolates - your best match is a sweet tawny port or Muscat. If you find the right bottle of pinot noir, you won't be disappointed.
Semisweet Chocolate - contains 50 to 70% cacao + is known as semisweet, the sweetest of the dark chocolates. Nutty, spicy, or earthy, semisweet dark chocolate pairs best with Cabernets or Bordeauxs or a ruby port.
Bittersweet Dark Chocolate - contains 71 - 100% cacao, the richest, most intensely flavored chocolates with the least sugar. Bitter + intense roasted flavoring pairs with strong reds like Zinfandels, an Australian Shiraz, a Spanish Grenache, a Malbec or Merlot, Beaujolais........ as well as the ports.
Caramel or Toffee Chocolate - Madiera, Sherry, Sauternes or tawny port.
Coconut - Sauternes or late harvest Australian Semillon
Fruit - fruit flavored truffles, chocolate dipped fruits or covered cherries - Cabernets, Banyuls [fortified, fruity wines from the grenache grape], Madiera, Merlot + ruby port.
Fruit ganache + fruit creme - Framboise, Marsala, Pinot Noir, Port or Rose Champagne
Mint - Cabernets or Zinfandels
Nuts - Cabernets, Sherry + tawny ports
Chile - ruby port
Whew, didn't know there was so much to know, did you??? The other thing to remember - you can break all the rules. After all, the tasting is based on your taste buds!!! |
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