Story by Dave Eckert
It’s one of the most controversial questions one can ask in the wine world. What wine pairs best with chocolate? Like all queries related to selecting a wine match, there is no single correct answer. That said, here’s some input from folks who know a thing or two.
There are few people in the world with the depth of wine knowledge as Kansas City’s own, Doug Frost. Frost is one of just a handful to earn the titles Master of Wine and Master Sommelier. I asked Frost what he thought about wine and chocolate pairing. “I never want to get caught telling someone what they should like. Taste, even with chocolate, is personal. But if there is an overarching method to pairing wine with food it is that neither the food nor the wine should overwhelm. Chocolate is powerful, so there are few white wines that can stand up to it. I find most red wines struggling with the task, though I know there are people who love the two together,” Frost shared. “Personally, I rely upon fortified wine; wines with loftier alcohol levels and, most often, residual sweetness. A Ruby or vintage character Port, a sweet Sherry or Madeira with most any style of chocolate are delightfully cohesive. There is France’s Banyuls too, a fortified Grenache with distinct bittersweet chocolate notes, along with fruits and herb flavors. That’s a secret weapon for me.”
Cellar Rat Wine Merchants’ manager, Mandy Crume, was dragged into answering the question kicking and screaming-figuratively anyway. “HONEST thoughts on pairing wine and chocolate? It is extremely tricky, and I mostly wouldn’t recommend it! But, if you must, sweets need sweet. Dry reds do not pair well with chocolate as the tannins in the wine fight with the tannins in the chocolate, which leads to bitterness and/or one overpowering, rather than enhancing, the other. So, things like Lambrusco, Port, Bugey, Sauternes, or late-harvest Riesling are the wines that go with chocolate. This is my personal, very strong, opinion,” Crume shared.
On the opposite side of the dry wine and chocolate combination is Tyler Morrison, owner of Scratch Gourmet Kitchen in Prairie Village, and a huge fan of chocolate and wine. “Especially red wine. I tend to be non-traditional when hosting pairing dinners. Most like to finish with bubbles or a sweet wine, but I love the depth and darkness of chocolate and believe it really should be complemented by a bold and deep red wine. When you have an elegant wine like an expensive Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon or great Merlot, the wines are so beautifully made that they can stand alone. I like to give the wine that wow factor,” Morrison told me. Having experienced Morrison’s food and wine pairing expertise multiple times first-hand, I would be inclined to follow his lead.
Next, some input from Barry Tunnel, wine expert and manager of Tannin Wine Bar and Kitchen and Mineral Lounge. Tunnel dives deep in the subject, even going so far as to provide extensive lists of wine and chocolate pairings for some of their private dining customers. “I am not of the strict persuasion that you have to have residual sugar with chocolate, but it definitely helps! There are plenty of dry table wines that work well with chocolate, if maybe not as perfectly as the sweet wines. Full-bodied, ripe, and fruity reds come to mind: Zinfandel, new world Cabernet, Australian Shiraz, Grenache based Chateauneuf, Amarone, and others. Fortified wines like Banyuls or Bodegas Olivares Dulce Monastrell from Jumilla, Spain are even better,” Tunnel expounded. “For complexity and ideal pairing, it’s hard to beat the classic fortified wines, especially Pedro Ximenez Sherry or Montilla-Moriles and Malmsey/Malvasia Madeira. Port can be very good. And, dry Oloroso Sherry, with its richness, body, and sweet flavors of caramel, nuts, and roasted coffee, makes a nice pairing, too. In the sparkling world, Brachetto d’Acqui is an amazing match with chocolate!” Tunnel exclaimed!
Finally, David Ransom, host of The Connected Table podcast, and editor of The Tasting Panel Magazine and The Somm Journal. “Wine and food pairings are subjective, to say the least. How to pair chocolate with wine may the most polarizing of all,” Ransom shared. Ransom says it depends mostly on the percentage of cocoa in the chocolate, which, he says dictates the perceived sweetness, at least, to an extent. “While many promote dark chocolate and cabernet sauvignon, if the chocolate is sweet, you really want a wine that’s sweet to accompany. A good go-to for me is Tawny Port, which gives the flavor profiles of red wine and a sweetness to complement the chocolate. My preferences are a 10 or 20-year old Tawny, as they both work nicely. The 10-year old is a bit more tannic and will pair better with a higher percentage of cocoa,” Ransom summarized.
Well, I don’t know about you, but all of this has stimulated my appetite and my thirst. Time for some chocolate and wine. But, what type of chocolate and which type of wine? I’ll never tell. Cheers!
