THE GODDESS OF WINES  HOME PAGE PAIRING WINE AND CHOCOLATE Black Forest Cherry Cake Assorted Fudge Chocolate Covered Cherries

White Chocolate: White Chocolate consists primarily of cocoa butter, sugar, and milk solids. The sweetness of white chocolates pairs best with sweeter wines. Ice wine is a type of dessert wine made in cold climates from grapes left to freeze on the vines. When the grapes freeze, their natural sugars become concentrated, resulting in intensely sweet flavours. Germany is especially know for its high quality ice wines called (eiswein) - and you can discover for yourself the charming villages, castles and vineyards of Pfalz on a half day wine tour. Milk Chocolate: Vino Santo is a sweet wine unique to Tuscany. When you visit Tuscany, you are likely to see Vinsanto served as dessert along with dipping biscuits. The crunch when you bite into a piece of milk chocolate and its mild taste, mimic the mouth feel of the biscuits which pairs beautifully with the wine. Dark Chocolate With Sea Salt: We were lucky to attend a chocolate themed event at Coya Restaurant in London where we had the opportunity to taste some great Ecuadorian chocolates paired with Ecuadorian wines. The chocolates were made by Montecristi Chocolate, Pacari Chocolate, and Hoja Verde Gourmet. Pacari Chocolate's 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate with Salt and Nibs paired beautifully with Paradoja Wine's 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon & Malbec blend. Red wines with notes of berries, chocolate, and cloves, harmonise well with the buttery, salty, and sweet flavors of the chocolate. South Africa wineries produce a range of wines, but most notably, great white wines. South African Chardonnays have bold fruity aromas which complement the high cacao content of a semi-sweet chocolate coating while highlighting the sweetness from the strawberries. White Chocolate and Wine White chocolate is built on the back of cocoa butter, some milk solids, and a snazzy sweetener (usually sugar) there's really not much in the way of cocoa bean kicking in white chocolate. Soft, mellow and buttery in flavor, white chocolate emphatically advocates for a sweeter styled wine. Easy pairing partners include, late-harvest dessert wines, ice wines, or a light bodied semi sparkling Moscato d'Asti. Gotta have bubbles? No worries, snag an off-dry, demi sec style of sparkling wine or Champagne. Prefer fortified favorites? Give Pedro Ximenez Sherry a swirl melding the smooth, creamy textures of the fortified wine with the allied palate profile of today's white chocolate offerings. A go to red wine? Check out Italy's snappy, sparkling dessert red, Brachetto, a match made for all avenues of chocolate. Or shoot for the contrast, with the higher alcohol and full throttle intensity of a jammy red Zinfandel. The meek and mild textures combined with the creamy character of white chocolate absorbs the wine's heat and spice and pops the ripe fruit up to the surface for a "berries in cream" themed experience. Something completely out of the ordinary? Reach for Orange Muscat, a highly aromatic, brimming with lively acidity, dessert wine which promises to pick up and deliver the subtle, sometimes fruity nuances of white chocolate. Top Wine Picks for Pairing with White Chocolate: Alvear Pedro Ximenez 1927, Fizz 56 Sparkling Brachetto, Saracco Moscato d'Asti, Veuve Clicquot Demi-sec Milk Chocolate with Wine SanSaMilk chocolate carries a tasty mix of cocoa butter and bean. The tannins in milk chocolate are mild and malleable and the perfect wine partner will bring a similar, subtle tannic appeal. The red forward fruit, supple tannins and medium-bodied character of Pinot Noir and many Merlots will partner up extraordinarily well with the creamy textures and cocoa butter synergy of basic milk chocolate confections, chocolate mousse or cream filled chocolate ganache themes. Think Pinot Noir, to bring out the wine's forward red fruit with the tasty backdrop of milk chocolate, or Merlot to complement the smooth and supple structure of the chocolate itself. Have mint chocolate in mind, opt for a Coonawarra Cab with its own minty eucalyptus medley in the bottle. Rose sparkling wine or Champagne delivers delight when well married to milk chocolate-covered strawberries, as the ripe berry themes in the wine focus even brighter against a chocolate canvas. Have milk chocolate and caramel in the mix? Tawny Ports will highlight both with ease, as the Port's nutty, caramelized nuances work with the velvety textures of the chocolate encased caramel. Tuscany's famous dessert wine, Vin Santo, provides a remarkable springboard for milk chocolate pairings, delivering a rich full body profile, off dry character along with classic nut filled nuances that promise to play particularly well with the trending textures and lively flavors of modern milk chocolate creations. A fan of chocolate with nuts? Steer towards the complementary classics of Tawny Port, Pedro Ximenez Sherry or Madeira. And last but not least, creamy chocolate desserts, highlighted with fresh berries, coffee flavors or swirls of bitter chocolate find their home in Banyuls, a sweet red wine from the southern Roussillon region of France. Dark Chocolate with Wine: With often significantly higher cocoa content (a minimum of 35% cocoa solids), dark chocolate can be considerably more dry and tannic in taste. This is where like characteristics can complement innate flavors. For example, when pairing a more tannic Cabernet Sauvignon with 70% dark chocolate the stout tannins in the wine will literally cancel the sturdy tannins in the chocolate unveiling more of the fruit character in the wine itself. On the other hand, when pairing a chunk of dark chocolate with a relatively low tannin red, like Zinfandel, the tannins in the chocolate can provide a bit of lift for the wine and showcase a snazzy synergy between the chocolate and the wine. Fortified wines find their ultimate calling with the bittersweet profile variations offered up by today's enticing medley of dark chocolate offerings. From ruby port to tawny ports, and late bottled vintage ports to the full-throttle, fortified profile of Banyuls, from Southern France, the heavier body, rich textures, and sweet palate impressions work their magic on a sliver of dark chocolate. Top Of Page