Pairing wine with chocolate can definitely be difficult, however the excellent news is that there’s loads of room for experimentation.
Sarah Jane Evans MW, a co-chair on the Decanter World Wine Awards, beforehand really helpful eager about a wine’s flavour, acidity, weight and size, and whether or not this works with the depth, sweetness and texture of the chocolate.
Chocolate can have a complete number of flavour profiles. Added substances like ginger or fruit can inevitably make a distinction, however the origin and manufacturing of the chocolate may have an effect.
Craft chocolate specialist Spencer Hyman, co-founder of Cocoa Runners, just lately spoke about totally different kinds – in addition to the significance of texture – throughout a web based tasting hosted by The Wine Society.
Kelvin McCabe, a prime sommelier and co-owner of Hackney Coterie in London, informed Decanter that for meals and wine pairing usually it’s necessary to think about components throughout the meals, ‘from texture to sweetness to acidity and flavour profile.
‘It’s precisely the identical with the wine as properly; you need to perceive the quantity of acidity, the quantity of fruit, is it perceived sweetness and ripeness, [or] is it precise residual sugar? All of these items are an element while you pair them collectively. It’s all theoretical till you’ve tasted it.’
Which crimson wine goes finest with chocolate?
Private desire is all the time an enormous issue with wine and meals matching.
Some individuals love wealthy, luxurious darkish or milk chocolate with lush reds, akin to fuller-bodied kinds of Zinfandel with ripe, jammy fruit and components of candy spice garnered from oak. Others may discover this an excessive amount of.
McCabe informed Decanter that he would personally go for more energizing kinds of crimson as extra of a basic match with darkish chocolate.
Pairing up the acidity within the wine and chocolate is necessary, however the ‘bitterness within the chocolate can intensify the fruit within the wine’, he mentioned.
By way of bolder reds, it will depend on the chocolate you’re consuming. Basically, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot can all work, however McCabe instructed broadly wanting in the direction of hotter local weather areas, akin to components of Australia, South Africa or Chile, the place you may general anticipate brighter, juicier fruit and gentler tannins.
Merlot is usually a specific winner ‘since you get that sweeter, plum, nearly chocolatey word anyway’, he added.
Going past dry reds, McCabe mentioned Banyuls dessert wine, from Roussillon in southern France, might be implausible with darker chocolate.
‘Alternatively, I’d discover a barely aged, however slightly bit extra advanced botrytis wine, perhaps one thing like a Recioto di Soave, which works very well.’
These in search of a extra ‘on the market’ match may additionally give skin-contact white wines a go. A bottling with comparatively gentle skin-contact might be nice with salted darkish chocolate, particularly.
‘One thing that has a few weeks of pores and skin contact and fairly vibrant fruit is slightly little bit of enjoyable with darkish chocolate and salt, [and] works actually very well,’ McCabe mentioned.
On milk chocolate particularly, McCabe beforehand instructed attempting out riper kinds of white wines with slightly contact of oak, akin to a Viognier or maybe a Pinot Gris.
Amontillado Sherry, with its nutty complexity, can be value a go together with milk chocolate that accommodates almonds or hazelnuts, as this Decanter article on pairing wine with Sherry explains.
Wines to pair with white chocolate
White chocolate typically has a milky, creamier character with a extra delicate flavour profile. The freshness of Riesling might be scrumptious right here, McCabe mentioned.
‘For those who do have a high quality white chocolate with creaminess, you possibly can have slightly however of enjoyable with a Champagne or English glowing and little bit of autolysis – with brioche or buttery notes. I believe that’s a enjoyable little bit of pairing,’ he mentioned, though added he hasn’t tried this one particularly.
Alternatively, strive searching for out a white wine with a steadiness of fruitiness and salinity, alongside a little bit of refreshing acidity and a contact of creaminess. A Greek white like Moschofilero might work, he instructed.
Pairing wine with chocolate desserts
Recommendation from Decanter contributor Fiona Beckett
Three predominant issues to think about:
1. The kind of chocolate – white and milk chocolate being typically simpler to match than darkish
2. Is the dish sizzling or chilly – chilly is extra wine-friendly
3. What different substances are on the plate? Cherries, for instance, may lead you to a candy crimson like a Recioto or a late harvest Zinfandel somewhat than a white.
The concept chocolate is ruinous to wine remains to be broadly held however, as lots of you’ll know, the issue is overstated.
Sure, it may be troublesome to discover a wine to match a molten chocolate fondant (PX Sherry nearly manages), however there are a lot of different chocolate desserts – and goodies – which might be flattered by a nice wine match.
In actual fact, it’s a helpful tip to consider the form of fruit which may work with a selected sort of chocolate and discover a wine that features these flavours – darkish chocolate and orangey moscatel, for example.
It additionally will depend on how a lot of a candy tooth you’ve.
For some – myself included – an Australian liqueur muscat would simply add an excessive amount of sweetness to a wealthy chocolate dessert. I desire a candy Sherry or Madeira with extra acidity, for others it might be bliss.
In contrast, not everybody would take pleasure in a Barolo Chinato, which I discover essentially the most marvellous match for a slender sq. of nice darkish chocolate.
I’m additionally not a fan of pairing full-bodied crimson wines with chocolate, though I do know many are.
For me the wine must be sweeter than the dessert.
Lighter desserts with lighter wines
Basically lighter dessert wines akin to Sauternes, Riesling and Moscato work finest with lighter chocolate desserts, and richer ones akin to Tokaji and fortified wines with darker, denser ones.
Lastly, keep in mind it might be a query of you possibly can, however why would you?
For those who love Château d’Yquem Sauternes then I’m positive you’ll take pleasure in it with a Mars bar or a slice of satan’s meals cake, however there are such a lot of candy (and savoury) meals that might present it off higher.
Fiona Beckett is a Decanter contributor and a meals and wine pairing professional together with her personal web site, matchingfoodandwine.com
