Many of us are partial to square or three of chocolate, and wine lovers will be pleased to know that wine and chocolate can be a match made in heaven.
The two have lot more in common than you think... Like wine, the seeds of the cacao tree must be fermented to develop their unique flavour and get rid of their bitter taste. But when you put them together, you do need to pair them carefully to avoid them clashing as both can dominate your palate. The trick is to choose a wine that balances the flavour of the chocolate, or vice versa. So let’s take a look at all the variations so you know what you are dealing with.
Types of chocolate
Think all chocolate is the the same? There are actually four main types of chocolate - baking/unsweetened, dark, milk and white - and they all have different ingredients.
Baking chocolate is made from cocoa mass and cocoa butter - with no sugar content.Dark chocolate is made from a minimum of 35% cocoa solids, cocoa butter and varying amounts of sugar.
Milk chocolate is a sweet chocolate that also has milk powder or condensed milk added to cocoa solids and butter.
White chocolate actually contains no cocoa solids - and is made from cocoa butter, sugar and milk.
Which wine with which chocolate?
So which wine suits which chocolate? Those of you who crave the dark stuff, be aware that the bitter taste of this chocolate means you need to keep a glass of Port or sherry at hand. For all you milk chocolate fans look for a Pinot Noir, sparkling red wine, vintage Port or creamy Sherry to pair with your slab. And even though white chocolate is not actually a true chocolate, if you want to enjoy a glass of wine with it, then you can get a dry red out or a Muscat. Or throw the rule book out and experiment, you may well find a wine/chocolate pairing that your palate likes!
Want to pair our wines with your favourite chocolate? Then why not
explore our range of alcohol removed wines or find a local stockist for a taste test?