Advice on how to please your palate when pairing wine with chocolate

Take the dreamy combination of wine and chocolate to the next level

The solution may sound simple: pour wine, grab chocolate. But If you want to take your wine and chocolate pairing to the next level, there are some things you can consider when indulging in this ultimate combo: a big glass of wine and a sweet chocolate treat.

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Learn how to please your palate with wine and chocolate pairings! #winetime #wineandchocolate #winepairing #chocolatelover #dessert

Pairing up wine with chocolate can make for a delectable dessert

We had my parents over for dinner on Sunday and right before they were due to arrive I realized I had nothing for dessert. My mom is usually the one to host Sunday supper and always has something great for dessert. Nine times out of ten it’s something delicious she’s taken the time to bake herself. Uh-oh. I’d dropped the ball.

Never fear - it was finally time to break out the Swiss chocolate Matt brought back from, you guessed it, Switzerland. You may find it wild to hear this Swiss chocolate has been sitting in the pantry unopened for a month. Then you don’t know me well enough because this is what I do. I still have chocolate from last Easter in the pantry, never mind what’s left from Halloween (and Christmas!). It’s always been this way. I’m forever saving my chocolate for that perfect rainy day… or in this case, the Sunday that I Forgot about Dessert.

Once the Sunday roast (Matt’s speciality!) was consumed and the dishes were cleared, out came the ice cream, out came the Swiss chocolate, and of course out came the bottles of wine for a top-up!

We only have two varieties of wine in the house right now. One red and one white, a hefty stockpile in the basement, homemade by my father-in-law. It turned out to be a pretty sweet dessert (see what I did there?). But it got me thinking, if I’d made more of an effort, what wine could I have paired with the chocolate?

Advice for pairing wine and chocolate to please your palate #wineandchocolate #wine #chocolate

Do wine and chocolate go together?

If you ask me, the answer is of course. If you’ve had a bad day, wine and chocolate might make you feel better. If you’ve had a great day, you can reach for wine and chocolate to celebrate. Sad? In love? Sunday afternoon? Wine and chocolate sounds like a fine indulgence to me.

Things can go wrong though. A dry red wine and a bite of dark chocolate might turn out to be a bit too bitter. A chocolate and wine pairing guide, like this one from the NSLC, can help. I’ve gathered some advice for you too. Here are some things you should know about pairing wine and chocolate.

There are things to consider when pairing wine and chocolate to take dessert to the next level #dessert #wineandchocolate #wineandchocolatepairing

How do you pair wine with chocolate?

As a rule of thumb, pair white wines with lighter chocolate and red wines with darker chocolate.

Light chocolate = lighter-bodied wines
Stronger chocolate = fuller-bodied wines

The wine you’re drinking should be slightly sweeter than the chocolate you’re eating. If the chocolate is sweeter, the wine will taste more acidic and leave a bitter taste.
Consider the qualities of both the wine and the chocolate, then try to match them up. For example, chocolate with nuts will match well with wine with nutty notes. The same goes for fruity, floral, and sweet chocolate pairing up with fruity, floral and sweet wines.
Watch out on doubling up on polyphenols, micronutrients that we get through certain plant-based foods, packed with antioxidants and potential health benefits, but also known to leave a bitter taste. Dark chocolate and wine, especially red wine, are both high in polyphenols. Dark bitter chocolate won’t taste great with really tannic wines.

As with most things in life, you need to find the right balance.

Wine and chocolate pairings

Dark and bittersweet chocolate with a high cocoa percentage (70%-100%) is intense and bold. Dark chocolate is richly flavoured, often with fruity or roasted, nutty, earthy notes. A great match would be a bold, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon. Zinfandel is another great choice (with moderate tannin and high acidity), same goes for Shiraz (with intense fruit flavours). The higher the cocoa content gets, the less tannic you want your wine (to avoid an overpowering bitter taste) so a Pinot Noir or Merlot will be the better option for the darkest bitter chocolate.

Milk Chocolate with less cocoa and higher sugar content, is milder and sweeter, with flavours of milk, brown sugar, honey, vanilla, and nuts. Lighter, fruitier reds like a muscat or sparkling red (think Australian sparkling Shiraz, Italian Lambrusco and Brachetto d'Acqui) will pair well with milk chocolate.

White chocolate while not technically chocolate because it contains no cocoa (just cocoa butter), with sweet, creamy, buttery, mellow flavours and notes of honey, vanilla, and fruit actually make it quite versatile for pairing with wine. A perfect match would be a Moscato (a sweet Italian wine with fruity notes and a hint of fizz). Other sweet sparkling white wines and late harvest Rieslings will also pair well. If you prefer white wine, now’s the time to pour a glass of Pinot Grigio. It’s aromatic and crisp palate suits a delicate white chocolate.

Red wine and chocolate

Remember, the darker the chocolate, the bolder and fuller the wine. Start with Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, or Shiraz. The darker the chocolate (higher the cocoa percentage), opt for a less tannic Pinot Noir or Merlot.

White wine and chocolate

Remember the rule of thumb, to pair white wines with lighter chocolate. So Pinot Grigio, sparking whites, and rieslings will pair well with milk chocolate and white chocolate.

The good news is, all palates are different so you’ll just have to experiment with all the chocolate and all the wine until you find your perfect match made in vineyard heaven.