8 Wines to Pair with Chocolate for Valentine's Day

[Celerity]

Rosé and chocolate-covered strawberries are just one combination you have to try.

https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/best-wine-and-chocolate-pairings



Wine and chocolate already have powerful appeal on an individual basis, but put them together and you’re in for one indulgent pairing. But it’s not as simple as grabbing a pretty-labelled bottle off the shelf and blindly shoving chocolate kisses in your mouth. “Pairing wine with sweets can be a challenge,” says Jeff Porter, certified sommelier and host of the upcoming video series Sip Trip. First off, there’s a bunch of sugar everywhere. Secondly, everyone’s go-to match of big Cabernets and chocolate is actually kind of a miss, since the wine’s bitter tannins tend to suffocate the chocolate.

“When pairing desserts, I try to keep the sweetness levels somewhat in line,” Porter says, “but moreso, I look for flavours that work together. I think of all the awesome candy bars I've had as a kid and try to recreate some of those flavour synergies with wine and chocolate.” Take a Snickers bar with its nuts, caramel, and chocolate—you might look for a wine with nuttiness and caramel notes to complement the chocolate. Like goes with like. With Valentine's Day looming, we’ve got you covered with eight swoon-worthy wine and chocolate pairings to try (plus one bonus beer pairing).

Zenato Cormí Merlot Corvina delle Venezie IGT 2013

Pair with: Dark or milk chocolate candy

Hailing from Italy’s Valpolicella region, this full-bodied red is 50% merlot and 50% corvina, the region’s signature red varietal. This is an expression of two halves becoming one (delicious wine), offering a red berry bouquet and notes of cherries, blackberries, and mint, while the merlot creates a soft mouthfeel that begs to be paired with dark or milk chocolate. Plus, "Cormi" means "my heart" in Veronese dialect, and the label’s festive heart graphic will gain you back brownie points since that candy definitely came from the drugstore.

The Federalist Bourbon Barrel-Aged Zinfandel

Pair with: Dark chocolate covered caramel with sea salt

This California blend of zinfandel, petit syrah, and merlot was aged for months in American oak barrels, then finished off in bourbon barrels for another six months. The resulting juice has robust fruit flavours and just enough tannins to balance out dark chocolate’s slight bitterness; with the wine’s caramel smokiness on the palate and nose reaped from the bourbon barrels, it naturally meshes with the savoury caramel in the chocolate and its salty notes on top.

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[elleng]

1. 'Thanks.'

IF I had more available cash than I do, I'd head to 'my' chocolate and wine shoppes, to pick up gifts for daughter and son in law, who would REALLY appreciate such a gift. For me, I'll just dream.

[Kali]

2. oh yes, lots of reds go well with chocolate

but I am intrigued or rather kind of grossed out at the thought of a zin from a bourbon barrel. all I can think is it must be a shitty wine to need that kind of treatment.

[Celerity]

3. that is actually a very decent CA winery, the extra 6 months in ex-bourbon barrels adds smokiness

etc, for a more complex flavour profile

it is like a reverse take on many good single malt scotches (where they age in different types of wine and spirits barrels)

here is another bourbon aged zin

https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/kraftwerk-rutherford/trade/tech-sheets/2017-BB-Zin_Updated.pdf

[Kali]

4. oh I would try it, and I like low end reds aged in oak

but all too often "adding complexity" actually means "hiding mediocrity"