Here’s an article for gourmets. It’s possible to multiply the pleasure of a good chocolate, especially when accompanied by the right wine! But beware: choosing the wrong wine could spoil the whole olfactory and gustatory experience.

Chocolate anatomy and matching

Chocolate is a blend of cocoa beans, sugars, milk and aromatics. Depending on how it is roasted, it can offer very different tastes. Often full-bodied and pronounced, its flavors are difficult to match with wines, whether red or white.

More precisely, the tannins very present in chocolate, when combined with the strong tannins of a powerful red wine, produce a bitter mouthfeel that is quite unpleasant. At the same time, condensed sugar in chocolate or chocolate-based desserts has the effect of overpowering the aromas of the wine tasted.

A few classic chords

One way to marry wine and chocolate is to match the wine to the chocolate’s aromas. As you know, wine has an endless palette of aromas, offering an exorbitant number of possibilities. One of these flavors is cocoa. These aromas are found mainly in mature red wines (and also in white wines, but to a lesser extent), such as a Pommard 1976 or a Madiran 1988. Easier to find, you’ll also get a Bordeaux from the 2000 vintage.

Alternatively, you can opt for a sweet wine. Its typical sweetness enables it to combat the bitter aromas of chocolate. In this case, fortified wines such as Port can do the trick. This wine is made from grape juice that is mixed with eau de vie during fermentation. As they age, Port wines acquire aromas of prune, cocoa, coffee… roasting aromas. Although they require a certain budget, mature Port wines offer unique complexity and richness on the palate. You’ll find the same sensations in France with the natural sweet wine that is Banyuls.

Sweet wines are also good friends of chocolate. You may have heard, but there are chocolates with Sauternes, and these go perfectly with Sauternes. Even normal, not-too-pure chocolates enjoy contact with the fruit and the touch of freshness provided by Sauternes. Older Sauternes develop roasted, cocoa-like aromas, making them even better when paired with chocolate. In the same vein, you can opt for a Tokaji Aszu from Hungary (a vintage from a decade or so ago, such as 2013, will do).

Finally, a perfect match for chocolate might be a strong spirit, such as Armagnac. A 2010 vintage single cask Armagnac from Domaine d’Arton goes perfectly with dark chocolate with orange and walnuts.