Wine and Chocolate Pairings

A few weeks ago I was asked to join Rebecca J Studio at Parker's Wine Walk. I had always wanted the opportunity to do a wine pairing with chocolate and here was my opportunity. Being a chocolatier, and not a wine expert, I had to get my research underway. After all, this was a WINE walk. The internet was my lifesaver (and my first stop) in discovering the wonders of learning the best wines to pair with the best chocolate, Dove Chocolate.

Whenever I have the need to research something about chocolate my first stop is http://www.dovechocolatediscoveries.com/ to see if the home office has any suggestions. In this particular research DCD didn't have exactly what I was looking for, but I did learn that...

IT STARTS WITH A BEAN

"It's a long journey from cacao bean to chocolate fondue. You already know how deliciously it ends,so here's an abridged version of how it got that way. The cacao tree was given the botanical name "Theobroma Cacao", meaning "food of the Gods." ( Even botanists are chocoholics!)There's a difference of opinion about whether the Mayans or the Aztecs were the first to cultivate cacao back in 300 A.D. We do know that this finicky tree is quite particular about its address. It resides only in latitudes no more than twenty degrees north or south of the Equator, thriving in the shade of the rain forest canopy. (Is it time for a "Save the Chocolate" fund-raiser?)As though life weren't tough enough for this delicate source of all things chocolate and wonderful, fewer than 10 percent of its blossoms ever mature into fruit. Each pod yields only 20-50 beans. (We're talking 400 beans for just one pound of chocolate)."

"The pods are split open and the beans are fermented, dried, roasted and shelled until only the precious nibs remain. The nibs are the essence of chocolate, containing more than 50% cocoa butter. They're ground into a liquid called chocolate liquor (no alcohol.. you'll have to wait for the Chocolate Martinis!)"

"At Dove Chocolate Discoveries™, we've spent years refining and perfecting our proprietary blend of just the right amount of cocoa butter and cocoa solids to mix with sugar and vanilla (or milk for milk chocolate). Then our chocolate goes through the refining and conching process that determines the flavor and texture of our chocolate. (Can you say "yummy, creamy, melt in your mouth?")At Dove Chocolate Discoveries™, our reputation for the exceptional creaminess of our chocolate comes from the high standards and extra care we take with every batch. Our unique Dove Chocolate Discoveries™ process is a closely held secret handed down for generations."

I digress...

This article is about pairing wine with chocolate, so I moved on to my next favorite website, AllChocolate.com This is where I find myself whenever I need to find something unusual about chocolate. Not only does this site have the basics about chocolate, but it also has answers for the culinary professional. I did find a very informative guide to the pairings of chocolate with wine. In general terms, pairing is done by how light or dark the two are. "The darker the chocolate the darker the wine." White chocolate should be paired with a light sweet wine, whereas a dark chocolate is paired with a full bodied wine. All Chocolate gives a wonderful, yet simple, guide to pairing and tasting your wine and chocolate.

Another fun resource is found at TheNibble.com which is an on-line magazine all about food. They say, "When pairing wine with chocolate, you can seek wines that have the same flavor notes as the chocolate (nutty, cherry, mint); or look for contrasts. As with food and wine matches, only you are the arbiter of what works best: There are no absolutes. Some people enjoy a fruity Cabernet or Zinfandel with chocolate, others find them too dry; some love matching Bourbon with chocolate, others find spirits too harsh. Most experts would recommend sticking with fortified wines because the sweetness and structure of the wines match well with chocolate, but that’s too simplistic."

The further I researched wine and chocolate pairings the more those last four words held true. Chocolate, just like wine, is a complex food that can have flavors the vary in complexity and in depth. For every chocolate there are many possibilities for a wine to match and for every wine there are many chocolates. For every combination found there can be a contrasting combination that is just as wonderful. Below I have put together a list of suggested pairings that I found along the way while doing my research. The list is only suggested pairings for my readers. In the end, the individual palate will be the best judge.

Pairings for Dark, Bittersweet and Semisweet chocolate:
· Zinfandel
· Syrah
· Tawny Port
· Armagnac
· Cognac
· Merlot
· Bordeaux
· Shiraz
· Cabernet Sauvignon

Pairings for Milk Chocolate:
· Riesling
· Sauvignon Blanc
· Dessert wines
· Pinot Noir
· Light Merlot
· Muscat
· Riesling
· Tawny Port

White Chocolate:
· Muscat Beaume de Venise
· Eiswein
· Berenauslese
· Muscato d’Asti
· Sweet Champagne(Demi-sec)
· Orange Muscat
· Fruity Chardonnay
· Riesling