Just
like Laurel & Hardy or Laverne & Shirley, some things are meant
to go together! Sugar Plum Chocolate's Vegan Chocolate bars are a
perfect pairing for any wine. The deep, rich flavor of dark vegan
chocolate with the decadent addition of organic fruits highlight many
flavors of wine. Creating the perfect pairing of chocolate and wine may seem easy, but in in order to bring out the best in each of the partners, it is necessary to have a firm understanding of each individually. An uneducated pairing may result in an unpleasant tasting experience and may also leave you with an undesirable chocolate taste and a dry mouth.
By developing an understanding of chocolate flavors and notes before attempting to combine them with
wine or spirits, you can expand your tasting experience. We recommend two ways in which to pair chocolate & wine:
1. Pair a chocolate and wine together that offer similar notes (for example - both have fruity or nutty notes.)
2. Aim for a contrast but complementary pairing. (for example - a toffee chocolate with nutty undertone wine)
Keep in mind that just as chocolate will vary in taste depending on its cacao and sugar content, texture, or decadent additions, wines will also vary in their notes & personality depending on vinter, vintage and grape variety. Adding to the complexity, each individual experiences wine and chocolate in different ways. We offer three guidelines to remember while searching for your perfect pairing:
1. Sugar & Alcohol content & sweetness of the wine should match or be greater than the chocolate you pair with.(It is understandable then that bittersweet chocolate will pair with a great number of wines than your standard milk, white or sweet dark chocolates.) Remember that both sugar content (derived from grape variety) and alcohol both add to the overall sweetness of the wine. If you take two equally sweet wines, but one has a greater alcohol content (such as a fortified port), the "sweeter" one will be the higher alcohol content. Acidic wines have reduced sweetness and will be more difficult to pair with a sweet chocolate. While sweeter, more full-bodied wines will have the most chocolate pairings, understand that sweet "dessert" wines may not always pair well with sweet chocolate because of the usual "tartness" of these wines.
2. Pair Like Intensities - Bold with Bold and Delicate with Delicate. Delicate chocolates pair well with lighter wines, but bittersweet chocolates pair better with bolder, full-bodied wines.
3. All tastings should being sweet and end bittersweet. Going against traditional love stories, we suggest beginning a taste pairing with sweet chocolates and work towards bittersweet. For an enhanced experience, try a wine singly and then add a taste of chocolate on the second go.
Below is a suggested guide to some perfect pairings of Chocolate & Wine.
Chocolate Type
Wine Pairing
White Chocolate
(white chocolateis cacao-free so if paired with the more acidic wines, it will not result in the tartness milk or dark chocolates might produce)
Dark Chocolate
(Including semisweet(50% - 69% cacao content) and bittersweet
(70% cacao content or higher)
(Pair better with stronger red wines & wines with greater flavor intensity)
To assist you with highlights and notes in wine varieties, we have prepared the following overview:
White Wines
Aromas & Flavors
Body
Sparkling Wine
Apple, pear, yeast
Medium
Sauvignon Blanc
Herbaceous,
grassy, hay, citrus, grape-fruity
Light
to Medium
Chardonnay
Pear,
apple, oak, buttery,creamy
Medium
to Heavy
Viognier
Floral,
peach, apricot, pear, fruity
Medium
Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio
Crisp,
pear, peach, apricot
Light
Pinot Blanc
Pear,
apple, floral
Medium
Chenin Blanc
Peaches,
fruity
Light
Gewurztraminer
Lychee
nut, spices, rose petals
Medium
Riesling
Apple,
lemon, floral, apricot, fruity
Light
Red Wines
Aromas and Flavors
Body
Pinot Noir
Strawberry,
berries, cherry
Light
- medium
Merlot
Blackberry,
plum, current, chocolate, vanilla
Medium
Zinfandel
Berries,
jammy, cherry, earthy
Medium
to heavy
Cabernet Sauvignon
Blueberries,
black current, cassis, raspberries, oaky
Heavy
Syrah
peppery,
spice, blackberry, cinnamon
Medium
to heavy
Petite Syrah
Blackberry,
pepper, jammy
Heavy
Sangiovese
Cherry,
fruity, spice
Light
to medium
Cabernet Franc
Raspberry, casis, herbacious
Medium
Barbera
Berries, red fruit
Medium
Malbec
Cherry, strawberry, plum
Medium
Whatever your wine or chocolate preference, remember that pairing wine and chocolate should be pleasurable and fun. Be adventurous & daring. Sugar Plum Chocolates enjoys pairing fine gourmet chocolates and wine and we hope you will, too!
