Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and romance is in the air. Ahhhhh. I’m asked quite often to recommend wines that pair nicely with chocolate. Since wine + chocolate + romance = FUN in my book, I’m submitting this article from “The New York Times” with a little help from “The Wine Spectator”. Truffle photography courtesy of Ellen Silverman/Marilyn Cadenbach. Make sure you check out the truffle options along with all my other Valentine Day specialties in the e-boutique! dianaphillipschocolates.com/eboutiqueValentine Chocolates
The Chocolate Equation
A rich dessert, such as homemade truffles, with one of these eight luscious sweet wines is a surefire way to make a match on Valentine’s Day
Dana Nigro
Posted: February 11, 2009
Why fight it? Nothing says Valentine’s Day like chocolate. And with so many boutique producers delivering higher quality and more diversity than ever before, you can come up with a unique choice that offers all the personality of the one you love, whether you serve truffles, or give a gift of specialty chocolates, from single-origin varietals, to chocolates flavored with fruit, spices, sea salt or even cheese or bacon.
Furthermore, you don’t have to forego wine because you’re having something sweet. Just serve the dry Champagne earlier in the meal and, to cap it off, turn to one of the world’s renowned sweet wines, whose flavors parallel those in fine chocolates.
To help you narrow down your options, we’ve gathered the expertise of Wine Spectator editors and contributors.
Buying Chocolates as a Gift
Rather than be indecisive with a mixed assortment, find out your sweetheart’s taste preferences, so you can really make a strong impression. In essence, chocolate lovers fall into three families:
those who go for nuts, those who love fruit (think chocolate-covered strawberries) and those who are chocolate purists, according to features editor Owen Dugan. For the latter, he says, skip the pure high-quality chocolate bars on this romantic day and opt for truffles, with their more seductive texture. As an added bonus, these not-too-sweet confections are excellent matches for sweet wines and after-dinner spirits and liqueurs.
Pairing Wine and Chocolate
Chocolates and chocolate-based desserts can be an exquisite match with wines, if you follow this guideline: Choose a wine that’s sweeter than the dessert so the wine won’t taste bitter or thin.
Harvey Steiman, who once spent an entire day trying chocolate and wine combinations in the name of research, says his favorite matches—and the most versatile—are rich, fortified wines such as sweet Sherries and Australian Muscats and Muscadelles (formerly called Tokays) that are made via the solera system of blending older and younger wines. These wines have a nutty character that mingles well with chocolate.
Also look for other fortified sweet wines that echo the flavors in the dessert, such as tawny Ports, with their nut and spice flavors, and Banyuls (made from Grenache) from France, which typically offer raspberry, cherry, plum, dried fruit and even chocolate notes. Vin Santo, an Italian wine made from dried grapes, also may proffer a profile of nuts, caramel, toffee, honey, brown sugar, spice or dried fruits.
For a different take, try light, fizzy wines and sweet rosés with bright fruit flavors, suggests Steiman. The low-alcohol Brachetto from Northern Italy makes a nice choice for Valentine’s Day with its rose-petal aromas and strawberry flavors that pair well with chocolate-covered fruit. If the dessert focuses more on fruit than chocolate, sweet wines from white varieties, such as Sauternes and late-harvest Rieslings, are good options.
If you’re not a fan of sweet wines, dry red wines can pair wonderfully with not-too-sweet chocolate desserts. Steiman recommends a youthful, fruity wine with plenty of berry, cherry or currant flavors, such as Zinfandels and young Syrahs, to create a match that evokes chocolate-covered cherries or fruit cream-filled chocolates. Very high-quality chocolate contains little sugar, needing just enough sweetness to balance the bitterness of the chocolate. While bittersweet chocolate can amplify the fruit flavors of a young red, sweeter chocolates will cut the richness, so look for one with at least 60 percent cacao and no more than 12 grams of sugar per serving.
For more explanation on how to achieve the perfect pairing, read Harvey Steiman’s column, Chocolate and Wine in the Jan. 31-Feb. 28, 2009, issue of Wine Spectator, watch his video or read his blog.
Recommended Sweet Wine Matches for Chocolate
ISOLE E OLENA Vin Santo del Chianti Classico 2000 Score: 92 | $45 / 375ml
Full and sweet, with orange peel, fresh herb and caramel character. This has a pleasant tangy finish, leaving a hint of salt behind.
There’s an intense dried apricot character. Long and beautiful. Drink now. 800 cases made.—J.S.
MADEIRA WINE COMPANY Madeira Miles Finest Rainwater Medium Dry NV Score: 90 | $15
Filled with fresh orange peel, white pepper and apricot flavors, this is very rich. Finishes with white chocolate and caramel.
Drink now through 2020. 600 cases imported. —K.M.
RENWOOD Zinfandel Amador County Amador Ice 2006 Score: 89 | $35 / 375ml
Rich, with toasted almond, apricot preserves, honey, citrus peel and tobacco notes that are unctuous and sweet, but with acidity in the
backbone that keeps it light on its feet and not cloying. Drink now through 2014. 850 cases made. —M.W.
CAVE DE RASTEAU Rasteau Signature 2006 Score: 87 | $33
Ripe, with dark plum, fruitcake and blueberry cobbler notes followed by a sweet, slightly raisined finish that stays fresh enough.
Drink now. 2,000 cases made. —J.M.
BODEGAS DIOS BACO Cream Jerez NV Score: 86 | $20
Sweet and full-bodied, with caramel, molasses and prune notes. Balanced and approachable.
Shows a touch of heat on the finish. Drink now. 6,000 cases made. —B.S.
GIACOMO BOLOGNA Brachetto d’Acqui 2007 Score: 85 | $24
Shows strawberry jam on the nose, with hints of lemon. Soft and creamy for a sparkling wine. Medium sweet, with lots of fruit.
But not overdone. A nice aperitif. Drink now. 5,000 cases made.
