Woo your woman (or man) with Wine and Chocolate

By: Vaniitha Jaiin, On: February 12, 2016


It’s a surest way to heighten the romance

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Everyone’s asking – what’s the big plan for Valentine’s Day? Something extravagant? Something exotic? At times though the clichéd bright red roses, a box of good chocolates and mushy cards are simple yet the cutest way to reinstate love for your darling. If you want tad drama – add a nice, elegant shiny bottle of a good wine to the beautiful bouquet. Guaranteed, it will be a day filled with many memorable moments.

Combining wine and chocolate is a tricky proposition, so don’t buy a random bottle to go with her (his) preferred confectionary. There’s a perfect match for these romance-inducing goodies.

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Pic credits I am Fry on Flickr.

Milk chocolate – demi-sec wines

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Pic credits for the right image- Kev-Shine on Flickr

The light-brown to orangey brown chocolate variety are high on sugar and low on cocoa, and the milk content makes it sweeter.
Chocolate options: Plain Cadbury or Cadbury Silk, Nestle Kit Kat, Lindt Chocolate – Lindor Milk, Lindt’s Swiss Thins – Milk, Belgian milk chocolates
Wine options: Muscat, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Tawny Port, Sparkling wines or demi-sec dessert wines are great matches for the sweet cacao.

 

Dark Chocolate – bold red wines

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Dark Chocolates are low on sugar and strong on flavour so they need an equally bold – not dry – wine. They need fuller, bolder and denser wines depending upon the Dark Chocolate percentage.
Chocolate options: Lindt’s Swiss Thins – Dark, Cadbury’s Bournville, Nestle’s Kit Kat Dark, Belgian dark chocolates
Wine options:Pair it with Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvedre, Shiraz, or Bordeaux for extra dark chocolates.  Malbec, Merlot & Zinfandel goes well with a semi dark or a smooth dark chocolate.

 

White chocolate–champagne

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When it comes to a chocolate that you blindly pair with her (his) favourite wine, it is the creamy and milky white chocolate (it has no cacao, only cacao fat). If your darling loves a glass of golden Champagne – demi-sec or sec variety – then white chocolate is its perfect companion. Chocolates don’t blend well with the acidic Champagne and sparkling wines, but a decadent slab of cocoa-less choco is good to go. Chocolate options: Belgian white chocolate, White Toblerone, Frey’s white chocolate
Wine options: Spot on Champagne, Prosecco, Moscato, Lambrusco or Riesling. Chardonnay, Sherry Brachetto, etc. Most sparkling wines will pair well.

Below are a few more pairings to try to test and taste…
Mint chocolate – Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel
Chocolates with nuts – Cabernet Sauvignon or Blanc or Sherry or Pinot Noir
Fruit-flavoured chocolates – Rose or Port or Pinot Noir
Caramel-centered chocolates – Sauternes or Tawny Port
Coffee-flavoured chocolate– Sherry

Tips
Match sweet chocolates with sweet wines to enhance each other’s flavour. Wine must be sweeter than the chocolate.
– Pick wine and chocolate have similar flavours – fruity, nutty, earthy, roasty, creamy et al.

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So, this Valentine’s day, let wine meet chocolate and fall in love!

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About Vaniitha

Wine & Spirits Specialist. Whisky Enthusiast. Marketing Wizard. Globetrotter. Runner. Passionate. Just a few words that concisely but aptly define me, Vaniitha Jaiin. ..

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