What wines are good with chocolates?

Question

white, dark, milk chocolate, and bing cherries

Answer 1

Pairing wine with chocolate is difficult, and here's why (don't worry; I'll make some suggestions by the end). First off, there are many types of chocolates: Bittersweet, milk, white, with nuts and fruits. These all have their own wine-pairing considerations. For instance, if you drink an acidic wine (such as a pinot grigio or some chardonnays, for instance) with milk or white chocolate, you might end up tasting a sour-milk taste as the acid in the wine reacts with the milk in the chocolate. On the other hand, dark chocolates with red wines may give you cottonmouth. Why? Because both chocolate and red wine have tannins in them. They create a puckery sensation in the mouth, and the combination of wine and chocolate with a lot of tannins ends up pickling your mouth--an unpleasant sensation. For these and other reasons, many chefs and oenophiles say that coffee is a better pairing with chocolate.

Nonetheless, there are some good options that you will enjoy. The safest wine choices with desserts are sweet wines, such as: Ice Wine, Muscat/Muscato, Sauternes, Monbazillac, Trockenbeerenauslese, or a port or sherry.

Many of these dessert wines are sold in split (375 ml/12.5 oz) bottles, rather than the full-sized (750 ml/25 oz) bottle. One reason for this is because these wines are meant to be served in small portions (2 oz), and sipped and savored. Another reason is that they are usually rarer and more expensive than regular wines.

My own choice for your group of chocolates would be a young, non-vintage, Ruby or Tawny port. These are sweet, full flavored, and are available for less than $20 for a respectable bottle. The ports will have a bit of tannin that will compliment that of chocolate, and hints of cherry as well. Ask at your wine shop for help choosing the best one. (If you can find it, Benjamin Australia Tawny Port is an outstanding wine for less than $15.) My second choice, and still a good one I think, would be an ice wine from New York or Canada.

Answer 2

Pairing wine with chocolate is a challenge. The key problem is that there are hardly any rules when it comes to pairing. You can read twenty books on the topic with wildly differing opinions from the leading sommeliers. It is not like pair white with fish. So you cannot generally say this variety of wine will go with this variety of chocolate, there are exception though... The best idea is to bring 10 wines and 10 chocolates to a jam session and try each wine with each chocolate. In the end, you might a couple of interesting combinations and a couple of complete misfires. But the main thing is you will have fun exploring.

The traditional proven combinations is fortified wine (Madeira or Port) with dark chocolate. Pairing milk chocolate and white chocolate is even bigger challenge. White chocolate could go well with a easy summer rose. After all, white chocolate is the equivalent of summer chocolate.

My alternative suggestion would be pairing chocolate with spirits. Typically you would try to pair single origin chocolate from one country with a rum from the same country. After all cocoa is grown is grown in the same region as sugar cane is. My absolute favorite pairing has to be Madagascar milk chocolate with vanilla paired with madagascar rum with vanilla. Simply stunning

Answer 3

Dark chocolate and red Zin, look for ones from the Lodi Area of CA.

Orange Muscat dessert wine and milk chocolate

White chocolate is tougher to pair with wine, I would suggest something with a lot of honey tones, perhaps black muscat.

Bing cherries and a German, Auslese Riesling.

Answer 4

A good tawny port is outstanding with chocolate. If you ever have the opportunity to do wine tasting at a winery, if they serve a port, it's common to serve it with a few chocolate chips. Port goes fantastic with chocolate truffles, devils food cake, you name it.

Answer 5

oh a nice cab or zin (red zin not white) with dark chocolate
and a merlot or lemberg with a milk chocolate.
I don't know where you are but here in washington state Columbia Crest has a nice cab and merlot, Grande estates.

Answer 6

OLD Zins, spicey Spanish tintos, dry French or Spanish rose, or a nice pinot n, from out west.

Answer 7

You can go one of two ways....get yourself a good champagne or some port. My personal favorite is port with chocolate.

Answer 8

definitely white is good as red is too heavy. Casillero del Diablo is sensuous in red or white grape mmmmmmmm

Answer 9

All wines

Chocolate goes with everything and it is

A sin to say otherwise!

Answer 10

sparkling white wine.