Think wine and chocolate and we often conjure images of red wine and dark chocolate or champagne and truffles. But if you have a taste for the bold, there's far more to discover when it comes to exploring how the notes in a fine wine might pair with those in a bean-to-bar chocolate.
Accepting the challenge to find the perfect pairing is the award-winning UK wine club Honest Grapes, a small team of wine enthusiasts dedicated to finding exemplary wines at fair prices and more importantly, supporting sustainable, independent growers and small wineries. Much like our own small-crop cocoa growers, the growers and producers they champion are finding ways to balance the wine's character and terroir with sustainability in mind.
With a world of wines to choose from and over half a dozen cocoa origins, just where do you start when it comes to finding the perfect pairings?
Here are our Top 5 Tips for finding your perfect pairing:
- It's a general rule of thumb, but after much sampling, we found that lower cocoa percentage dark chocolate pairs better with white wine, higher cocoa percentage with red wine
- The more velvety and rich the red wine, the higher the cocoa percentage can be - even up to 100% cocoa
- Milk chocolate just doesn't pair so well with wine - which you may already have discovered if you've ever tried to drink your wine alongside a sweet dessert. Milk chocolate is best paired with coffee, a sweet liqueur or dessert wine.
- It really is a matter of trial and error - pairing just on the description of the taste notes alone can lead you to believe that certain combinations would work better than they actual do in practise.
- Try the wine first as this better replicates what you're likely to do in a real-world setting. The wine on the palate changes how the chocolate behaves - with some it really makes the taste notes pop, in others, the wine flattens the chocolate or jars with certain notes.
These tips will help you find your preferred pairings or simply use this 'we've done all the hard part so you don't have to' guide with two white wines and two reds all available at Honest Grapes:
Four perfect pairings for you to sample this festive season
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Clemens Busch, Riesling Trocken, 2022 Wine Notes: We detected a minerality to the finish in this wine with pear, citrus and spice taste notes. Chocolate Pairing: Philippines, Mindanao Island 73% Cocoa Our Verdict: Sipping and savouring the light dryness of the wine and its pear and citrus notes first really makes the citrus notes in the chocolate sing out. We think this pairing is best enjoyed with our Chocolate Thins for a more refined feel. |
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Macon Uchizy, Meurgey-Croses, 2023 Wine Notes: This is so different from the Riesling - green apple on the nose and palate with an apricot note behind the initial greenness. Chocolate Pairing: Papua New Guinea, Karkar Island 72% Cocoa Our Verdict: This wine really brings out the sticky raisin notes in the chocolate and partners well with the peppery finish of the wine. |
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Château Cinet, Ronan By Clinet Bordeaux Rouge, 2020 Wine Notes: There really is plenty of blackberry in this wine with an almost peppery, spicy finish. Chocolate Pairing: Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal 82% Cocoa Our Verdict: The blackberry in the wine complements the baked berry and red fruit notes of the chocolate giving it a sweeter finish. It's like having a baked blackberry tart! |
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La Giaretta, Volpare Valpolicella, 2023 Wine Notes: A really velvety wine with lots of cherry on the nose. Chocolate Pairing: Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal 100% Our Verdict: This really is a match made in heaven and perhaps the perfect opportunity to introduce 100% cocoa into your repertoire. The wine brings out the sticky date taste notes and inherent sweetness in these cocoa beans. For the ultimate connoisseur's dinner party setting choose the 100% Cocoa Thins to serve to guests. |
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If you'd like to try these wines or discover more for the festive season, you can enjoy a discount using code FIRETREE25 on your first order with Honest Grapes when you sign up to their mailing list here.
And here is Honest Grapes Co-founder, Tom Harrow's take on finding the perfect wine and chocolate pairing.
Enjoy your taste exploration and happy sipping!
Interested in flavour pairings and want to discover more? Here's what Baking Science & Food Technology student, Ellie Vaughan discovered when taking a scientific approach to pairing chocolate and coffee.
