Wine and chocolate: Not as simple as it sounds, according to this Charlotte sommelier
Before you go buying that Two Buck Chuck and Russell Stover for your Valentine, we’ve got a PSA.
Enjoying wine and chocolate together may seem like a no-brainer, however, there is an art to pairing them.
Before you invest in that perfect bottle of wine for Valentine’s Day to enjoy with a decadent dessert, see what a local sommelier and chocolatier recommend.
Wine Operations Director of Foxcroft Wine Co. Shawn Paul is an expert in curating that perfect chemistry. “It’s a uniquely human experience to eat chocolate and have it coat your mouth with this rich quality that unfolds over time. Likewise, the best wines also unfold over time. You taste them and there’s an initial aromatic aspect, a visual aspect and a tactile aspect,” Paul said at a recent wine and chocolate tasting in which CharlotteFive was invited to attend.
“Combining chocolate and wine is very similar to how you would pair any wine with a food dish. There’s a range of wines that work better with a certain kind of chocolate, in terms of a classic pairing perspective.
“Of utmost importance is to consider the sweetness level and how the food behaves when you taste it. Some wines are bone dry and some are quite sweet. Finding that magical combination is one of the most interesting things about trying food and wine,” Paul said.
The wine should be sweeter than the chocolate.
Due to the inherent food chemistry, most chocolate doesn’t mesh well with dry red wine. If you have red table wine left over at the end of the main course, you may be tempted to carry it on to the dessert course. However, because most chocolate has some sugar and aspect of sweetness, a dry red wine by contrast will taste quite flat.
Match the level of sweetness in the chocolate to that of the wine. Pairings should be at least as sweet as one another or be exceeded by the sweetness in the wine because you taste it last. For food and wine to pair well, you should experience a seamless transition between the two. In general, a fortified sweet wine like a Port can successfully pair with dark chocolate as alcohol is added to the wine to balance the acidity.
Go sweeter, stay sweeter.
“Any chocolate north of 75% should be paired in red wine territory because you are experiencing something that is more not sweet than sweet and needs to be allowed to melt and coat your mouth,” Paul said.
“The finish is dry and pulls the moisture out of your mouth, which is the same quality of tannin as you find in young red wine. The tannin comes from the stems, seeds and skins of the grape. The same compounds are present in dark chocolate — the higher the percentage of dark the more tannin quality you get.”
“This is perfectly acceptable with dry table wine, like the Pinot Noir, where the red berry fruit and the bright acidity will be more at home with darker chocolate in the 80-88% range. You can pair with similar flavors or absolute contrasts, but there has to be some good give and take,” Paul explained.
Some specific wine pairing recommendations:
- Milk Chocolate, 38% - Smith Woodhouse, Lodge Reserve Port.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate, 85% - Mulray, Central Coast Pinot Noir.
- Dark Chocolate, 92% - Obsidian Ridge, Cabernet Sauvignon.
Cocoa beans are fermented, much like grapes.
Chocolate is unique because, like wine, fermentation plays a big role in how chocolate is made. Cocoa beans undergo fermentation to remove tannins and soften their flavor.
Visual artist Tamara LaValla became a chocolate maker to satisfy her own sweet tooth. Armed with a desire to indulge more mindfully, she began making healthy desserts from scratch.
Building on her growing chocolate obsession, she began visiting chocolate makers from around the world to learn more. In 2015, she launched Batch Craft, offering small batches of chocolate inspired by the people and places of her international travels.
“The glorious cacao bean is the heart of all great chocolate and, like fine wine and coffee, its complex flavors are deeply influenced by climate, topography and harvesting. Bonus points: Chocolate and wine contain polyphenols, compounds that are found in plant-based foods, making them full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories — when enjoyed in moderation, they can be considered healthy,” LaValla said.
LaValla’s pairing advice:
Choose sweeter wines (Port, Madeira, Sherry, Banyuls).
Match the intensity of the wine to the chocolate — pair light with light and strong with full.
Pair ingredients in the chocolate (nuts, fruits, caramel) with flavors in the wine.
If you are enjoying multiple bars/wines, taste from light to dark.
At Foxcroft Wine Co., house-made chocolates change seasonally and rotate frequently. “We use a 70% chocolate as our base, which is on the borderline between something that is primarily bitter and something that has a decent amount of sweetness. This rich chocolate favorite leans more toward the savory end of the spectrum, which allows Chef Justin to create our custom chocolates,” Paul said.
Menu options have included: Chai and Almond Blondies, with Marcona almonds baked into a vanilla blondie; Peppermint Patties, with lemon cream; Caramel and Dark Chocolate Ganache, with a smooth chocolate ganache; Raspberry Ganache, with fresh raspberry syrup folded into ganache; and a Salted Hazelnut Brittle.
