How to Pair Chocolate And Wine

Pairing Chocolate and Wine

My favorite tour Vino 301 offers is the Chocolate and Wine Tour.  Vino 301 visits Parfections (Cockeysville, MD) where the truffles are made.  It is literally like being a kid in a candy store.  Parfections's truffles are handrolled, and are free from preserves.  And paired with wine, life could not get any better.Everyone cannot join our tours, but you can host your own chocolate and wine pairing.  Here are a few tips to host your own chocolate and wine pairing.Wine selectionYour selections should include at least three of the following: dry white, dry red, sparkling, semi-dry, and dessert. You will limit your chocolate selection if you serve the same type of wines (e.g., all dry wines or all sweet wines).

• Dry White - light to medium body wines with a medium to high acidity level are the best, such as  Pinot Grigio,  Albariño, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chenin Blanc.  Avoid wines aged in oak barrels.

• Dry Red - medium to full body wines with medium to high tannin pair well like, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

• Sparkling - all sparkling wines compliment chocolate.

• Semi-dry - medium body, with medium to high acidity, late harvest Riesling and Moscato are good choices

• Dessert -  Port style wines or Sherry

 Chocolate SelectionPair same flavors with same flavors.  The wine and chocolate should compliment each other.  For example, a dry Rosé has notes of red fruits, like strawberries and raspberries.  A white chocolate truffle with a berry flavor center is a good combination. Keep in mind, you do not want the chocolate flavor to overwhelm the wine. Here are some same flavor pairings to try:

• Chocolate dipped fruit -  Chocolate dipped strawberries and Rosé or Merlot.

• Milk Chocolate - Pinot Noir, or other medium body red wines will bring out the flavors in milk chocolate.  Select milk chocolate truffles enriched with cinnamon, toasted apple spices, honey and roasted nuts.  Wines, like Albariño and Verdiccihio, that are high in acid and light bodied should be paired with milk chocolate with subtle citrus notes. Candied dried fruit like mango and orange peel dipped in chocolate is another option.

• Dark Chocolate - Flavorful, bold reds like Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Veridot share the same characteristics of dark chocolate.  Salted caramel, chocolate mousse, coffee, and dry berry fruits truffles will stand up to the big reds.

Opposite flavors will delight the senses too.  Semi-dry and dessert wines will tone down chocolates that are accented with heat, like cayenne peppers.  Extremely rich chocolates will pair well with high acid wines.  The riches will be minimized. Tasting ExperienceIt is time to taste.  You are going to create a wine sandwich.  (I could say I coined this phrase, but not). Taste in this order:

1.  First taste -  Sip the wine.  You will get the flavors of the wine.
2.  Second taste - Taste the chocolate.  The chocolate flavors will coat your tongue. The fatness from the chocolate will linger on the palate.
3.  Last taste - Sip the wine again.  The flavors from the wine and the chocolate will blend.  You will experience new flavors.

Enjoy your pairing!  Let us know what wine you paired with your wine. Share your pictures with us.  Post them on the blog or tag us on Vino 301's Instagram

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You want to know more about Vino 301's Chocolate and Wine tour  see below

2015 Spring & Summer Chocolate and Wine Tours Schedule

Chocolate and Tours are back!  We are so pleased to announce our 2015 schedule for our most popular tour.  It's Vino 301 third year partnering with Parfections (Cockeysville, MD). We are excited to provide these tasty and fun tours.  Each year Parfections adds new and delicious truffles and chocolate barks to its menu.  We cannot ...