The perfect pairing with chocolate can be enjoyed with different beverages, and it can be an excellent aphrodisiac when accompanied by wine. Chocolates have different flavor structures that can complement certain wines. We help you make the best and most informed decision on how to pair wines, coffee, or tea and explore interesting flavors with chocolate.
Milk Chocolate + Wines + Champagnes
Milk chocolate is sweet, smooth, melts in your mouth. A delicious way to pair it, white wines like German Rieslings. This light and vibrant wine gives a little boost of sweetness and acidity that meshes perfectly with the milk chocolate. Bonnat Milk chocolate from France and German Rieslings brings up an European twist to a spring afternoon.
Moscatos wines, Champagnes, Pinot Noir and Brachetto d’Acqui, can make the best pairing with milk chocolate. The bursting notes of all these special wines will make chocolate create an explode of flavor in your mouth.
Dark Chocolate + Cabernet
With dark chocolate, we’re now dealing with a sweet that has tannins of its own. These tannins give the chocolate a sharp and bitter flavor. Though it’s tempting to match the chocolate, tannin for tannin with a bold Cabernet, this approach usually results in either a tug-of-war between dominating flavors. Look for a stainless steel-aged Cabernet that is lighter and fruit-forward, as these will typically have a little extra residual sugar to complement the bitterness and make for a phenomenal pairing. Our Cote D’Or chocolate from Belgium 86% dark chocolate will pair perfectly with either cabernet, red blends like, Shiraz or Zinfandel, their fruity, full-bodied, and just enough sugar to keep things sweet.
White Chocolate + Sweet Dessert Wines
White chocolate is smooth and silky, with nutty notes and full sweetness. Though not technically chocolate, as it’s not made with cocoa, it still commands a unique place in the world of chocolate. Most white chocolate pairings are made with sweet dessert wines. Amedei White chocolate from Italy and Gewurztraminer can be a mouthful to say, and while it’s not necessarily a dessert wine has its notes of lychee, lime, and even a bit of spice. Rose, Riesling and Chardonnay with fruity notes can toned down with a perfect white chocolate like Amedei.
Alternative Chocolate Styles
Salted Caramel Chocolates
Port wines work very well with caramel, especially given their rich and sweet nature. A fruity Shiraz would make for a fun and interesting pairing. Try Rousseau chocolatier box with different flavors of Salted caramel and nuts.
Creme Filled Chocolates
Sweet Seas Bon Bon chocolates filled with crème, chocolate and chocolate ganache with an oaked Chardonnay will make creme-filled treats even tastier by adding a little oak and body to the lightness of the cream.
Hazelnut Chocolates
Chocolate Bonnat with hazelnut and Chardonnay works well when paired, but so will something like a Pinot Noir or a Merlot.
Wine and Chocolate Tasting
A wine and chocolate tasting can feel daunting but don’t worry, you’ll figure it out pretty quickly. Just like you would with dinner courses, start your dessert tasting with the lightest and work your way to the darkest, in both wines and chocolates.
When planning for your wine and chocolate party, it’s a good idea to start from your lighter wines and chocolates and move into the heavier stuff. It never hurts to start with something bubbly and end with something sweet. For example, white chocolate with Chardonnay, milk chocolate with Pinot Noir, caramel-filled chocolate with Shiraz, and dark chocolate with Zinfandel.
Explore our selection of our Deluxe Themed Boxes Chocolate and get ready for you to celebrate any occasion.
How to Pair Chocolate + Coffee?
Coffee and chocolate pair so well because they have a lot in common. Both of them are seeds of fruit growing on tropical plants, they are both processed similarly. They are fermented, dried, and then roasted. Chocolate can be marked by a variety of flavor combinations. Sometimes they can burst fruit notes or bitter flavors. By combining different chocolates and coffees a new world of flavor can be discovered.
The first rule states that it’s always a good idea to combine coffee with chocolate that’s marked by a similar level of intensity and a comparable flavor palette. Nutty coffees with notes of cocoa are hence generally paired with sharp tasting dark chocolates, while fruity, berryish, floral avierties work best when paired with milk or white chocolates. fruity, berryish, floral varieties
Espresso and the Darkest of Chocolates
Brazilian coffee bean blends pair well with dark chocolate containing a higher percentage of cocoa. Dark chocolate with 99.6% of cocoa is guaranteed to work and if you’re looking for some texture, give dark chocolate with cocoa nibs a try. Flavours like these go perfectly with espresso: the sharpness of dark chocolate highlights the notes of chocolate and nuts that Brazilian and Colombian varieties are famous for.
Just like “Our Stronger Together pairing” Juan Valdez Colombian coffee and Bissinger 75% dark chocolate.
Black Coffee + Chocolate That’s Not Quite as Dark
Rich, vivid specialty coffees work best when combined with dark chocolate marked by classic, bittersweet flavors. One of Coffee Friend’s favorite combos is the naturally spicy “Indonesia Sumatra”enjoyed alongside a piece of dark chocolate with 70% of cocoa. When it comes to the coffee recipes we’d recommend, your best bet here would be a serving of americano or coffee prepared with the help of filter brewing tools.
Try our “Earthy and Sweet pairing” Indian coffee and Amedei Toscano Brown.
Milk-Based Coffees and Milk Chocolate
Owners of a sweet tooth are bound to love the pairing of milk-based coffees and milk chocolate. A vivid blend of arabica, or arabica and robusta, will work best when making a milk-based drink. Our personal favourite is the combination of coffee beans with notes of dark chocolate and caramel and milk chocolate flavoured with sweet, refreshing strawberries. No lover of sweets would be able to resist a combo like that!
Try our Dolfin 37% Milk chocolate bar with coffee and extra kick of Costa Rican coffee cup.
Enjoy our Pairing or have fun exploring the different ways of pairing chocolates
