What Red Wines Can Be Paired With a Chocolate Dessert
Red wines tend to have undertones of chocolate in them, so pairing them with a chocolate dessert should be easy to do. Unfortunately, it is a bit more complicated than it seems, and pairing the wrong red wine with anything chocolate could have disastrous results. Does this Spark an idea?
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Tannins
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Tannins are organic compounds that are found in the stems, seeds and skins of grapes. Red wines tend to have a higher level of tannins than white wines and should be aged three years or more. High tannins in wine can conflict with the taste of chocolate and lead to a sour aftertaste.
Sweetness
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The wine should always be sweeter than the chocolate that it is served with. Consider a sweet red wine such as Australian Shiraz or California Zinfandel with a bittersweet or dark chocolate dessert.
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Good Pairings
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Port-style, zinfandel or sweet late-harvest red wines tend to be good matches for chocolate, particularly dark or bittersweet chocolate. A red wine with fruity notes will pair well with chocolate desserts that incorporate fruits or ingredients such as coconut.
Bad Pairings
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Bordeaux is a red wine that should never be served with any chocolate, according to Evan Goldstein, author of "Perfect Pairings." (see Reference 1)
Aging
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If wines such as Cabernet or Merlot are fully aged with well-integrated tannins or oak influence from the barrels, they can be a good match with dark chocolate. Merlot often pairs well with milk chocolate as well.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of jenny downing
