Moscato d'Asti and flute with chocolates

14th February 2021 | Pairings & Recipes | 3 minute read

Wine and Chocolate – A Match Made in Heaven?

By Lorna Povey

Wine and chocolate may sound like the perfect partners, but it can actually be tricky to get the harmony between these two right. A full-bodied red wine and a bitter dark chocolate can lead to excess tannins resulting in an unpleasant taste, while white chocolate with an overly sweet dessert wine can seem far too sugary. The key is getting the balance right, as is the case with all food pairings. But it is especially important with a famously difficult match like chocolate.

Believe it or not, many argue that wine and chocolate clash due to being too alike. Both contain antioxidants for a start, and too much of this can cause a nasty taste imbalance on your tongue while these two fight it out for your attention. Understanding the basic rules of pairing is half the battle here, and once you’ve mastered that, vino and cocoa can work together beautifully.

Bottle of Moscato d'Asti and flute with chocolates

Dark Chocolate and Bold Reds

Let’s start with the trickiest of the lot – dark chocolate. Its inherent bitterness is powerful enough to ruin a good glass of wine if not chosen correctly. Dark chocolate with a cocoa percentage of 65-80% needs a bold red wine to stand up to it. Try a medium-acid fruit-driven red wine like Malbec. Not only will the black cherry, raisin and raspberry flavours burst through to compliment the intense chocolate, this grape variety also produces wines that actually possess notes of cocoa, mocha, coffee and coconut. An all-time classic pairing for dark chocolate though is Vintage Port. Aged port tends to have nutty, wood-spice notes, which we all know work very well with lovely, delicious chocolate.

Milk Chocolate and Lighter Reds

We’re talking the nation’s favourite – half cream, dangerously moreish. The addition of the cream makes the cocoa far less bitter than in dark chocolate, creating a mellower and sweeter flavour. This pairs wonderfully with a softer red wine like Pinot Noir, which has lighter tannins and more delicate aromas than a full-bodied red. This means it won’t overpower a chocolate that’s been diluted with cream, and the pair will allow each other to shine on your palate. Ruby Port is also a great match, bringing warm spiced berry notes to your milk chocolate treat. And if you’re after something a little different, we’d also recommend trying a sparkling red wine. The sweeter and fruitier the better.

White Chocolate and Sweeter Wines

And finally, the naughtiest of them all – white chocolate. Arguably, not even real chocolate, as it doesn’t actually contain cocoa powder. Only cocoa butter blended with milk and sugar. But it’s this creamy, sweet goodness that makes it so much easier to pair with a number of different wines. Pairing white wines with lighter chocolate is spot on because the delicate white grape flavours won’t be overwhelmed by the cocoa. Instead, the fruity flavours of a late-harvest Riesling will match very well with the creamy chocolate, as will a sweeter rosé wine like White Zinfandel (think strawberries and chocolate). Sparkling wines like Moscato d’ Asti are also a great shout, as the bubbles of the fizz and buttery texture of the chocolate create something rather special. We’d also recommend trying Cream Sherry, which has characteristics that blend nicely with creamy, buttery desserts.