Mission Not so Impossible: Pairing Chocolate with Wine

Chocolate and wine are both incredibly complex and pairing them to complement their flavor profiles has always seemed daunting. But if you know your chocolate and your wine, the result can be intriguing.

By Rosamond Cummins

Caroline Yeh of Temper Chocolates and Jason McCollum of the Wine Gallery (both stores are located in the Hotel Commonwealth in Boston) have taken on the challenge of finding chocolate/wine matches by combining their broad knowledge base and informed judgments with curiosity and enthusiasm. Caroline, a former pastry chef who has studied chocolate seriously for several years, and Jason hosted a chocolate and wine pairing evening recently in one of the dining rooms at the hotel.

As with a traditional wine tasting, we started with lighter flavors and moved toward darker, heavier ones. We also followed the maxim that the sweeter the chocolate is, the sweeter a wine needs to be to complement it. The lower the percentage of cocoa in a specific chocolate, Caroline explained, the sweeter it will be due to the increased portion of sugar. She also noted that most American milk chocolate is made with less than 10 per cent cocoa, whereas European milk chocolates must be made with at least 30 per cent cocoa.

Jason added that lighter chocolates should be paired with light wines and darker chocolates should be served with more full-bodied wines. Conversely, bitterness in a chocolate blend emphasizes any bitterness in a wine.

First we sampled a 36 per cent milk chocolate from Kshocolat. It was paired with a Hogue Late Harvest Riesling ($12). Both flavors were light and sweet but they also had a bit of substance and body and were very satisfying, particularly for those used to vapid American milk chocolate.

Next we tried some chocolate from Kshocolat that had honeycomb and vanilla flavors added. This was paired with a Chateau Dereszla Tokaji 5 Putonyos Tokaji ($40) This Hungarian wine has made a resurgence onto the international scene. It gets some of its concentrated flavor from detritus–grapes infected with a fungus, often referred to as a “noble rot.” This kind of rot occurs only in certain climates, such as Northeast Hungary and parts of Bordeaux where Sauternes are made. The grapes with noble rot that are added to the wine are measured in “putonyos,” which are baskets. Six is the maximum number of baskets, but the five putonyos version we tasted was very rich in flavor as well. The process produces a wine that is both sweet and acidic. The acidic and, to my palate, honey-like flavor of the Tokaji complemented the additional, nuanced flavors added to the milk chocolate.

Next we tried a chocolate from a San Diego chocolatier Chuao. Chuao uses Venezuelan chocolate and takes its name from one of the famous chocolate-growing regions of Venezuela. We tried Chuao’s milk chocolate with toasted pistachios, hazelnuts and almonds. Jason paired this with a tawny port from South Africa called KWV ($11). He explained that port is a fortified wine and the alcohol content can run as high as 20 per cent. This particular port had an alcohol level of 19.5 per cent. He also noted that port oxidizes as it ages, resulting in a flavor that becomes increasingly nutty and butterscotch and smoother in character. The depth and clarity of the flavor of the port was a good match for the slightly vegetal tang of the pistachios and the buttery flavor of the toasted almonds and hazelnuts.

We moved on to Domori’s 80 per cent Dark Blend No. 1, a dark chocolate with the texture of crushed, hulled cocoa nibs manufactured by Matt Domori of Genoa, Italy. This was paired with Bogle Petit Sirah Port ($18). The Petit Sirah Port has a high skin to fruit ratio, resulting in a port that is very smooth and full of the flavors of blue fruits. If left open for a day, Jason said, more of the chocolate flavors in the port will develop. It wouldn’t be accurate to describe the chocolate as having a bitter flavor–it didn’t, and the experience of eating it wasn’t unpleasant–but the absence of the expected sweetness was certainly noticeable. Again, the wine and the chocolate were an excellent match, each bringing out the best in the other.

Domori 73 per cent Dark with Green Tea and Jasmine was next. The flavor was floral, due to the jasmine, and green tea provided the texture. The floral notes were novel and intriguing without overwhelming the underlying base flavor of the chocolate. The texture from the green tea was somewhat gritty and annoying without adding very much to the overall experience. The South African Graham Beck Railroad Red Shiraz ($10) that was served with it was not too sweet and very easy to drink, a good choice to set off the complex flavor of the chocolate.

The last of the pairings was Domori 75 per cent Dark with Spices paired with Chateau St. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon ($17). Caroline noted that many chocolatiers have begun adding spices to their blends but in fact the Aztecs always added spices to their drinking chocolate. The Cabernet was complimentary, if in a surprising way: it tastes sort of flat and acidic at the same time and seemed to “push back” and stand up to the intense flavors of the spiced chocolate. Jason also suggested Zinfandel for pairing with dark chocolate.

The overall lesson of the evening was that chocolate and wine can be paired in a way that shows off the best and most interesting aspects of each, but only if one follows a few simple guidelines. I also learned that many of the wines were more affordable than I would have guessed and even the most luxurious chocolates are well within the reach of the average consumer. I hope to explore this topic more at home with friends, but I will be seeking the council of a well versed chocolatier and a knowledgeable wine seller.

www.temperchocolates.com

www.hotelcommonwealth.com

www.wine-gallery.com

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