What’s more satisfying than a glass of white wine accompanied by a piece of decadent chocolate? Read on to find out the best chocolates for white wines.
Chocolate and white wine are delectable treats individually but will joining them be a perfect match? A little creativity and a taste for adventure will help you find a pair that excites and satisfies your taste buds.
Be warned. Many white wines are dry and can be difficult to match with chocolate. But, don’t let this discourage you. With a little know-how, you can find the perfect white wine match for your favorite chocolate. The central rule when creating a white wine and chocolate pairing is to make sure that your wine is slightly sweeter than your chocolate. This can be achieved by selecting a wine that is higher in sugar than the chocolate or has more fruit notes. If the chocolate is sweeter than the wine, it will make the wine seem even drier than it actually is.
Additionally, because chocolate coats your mouth when you eat, you have to have a wine that’s strong enough to cut through it. This fact points to the second instruction for chocolate and wine pairing –matching flavor intensities. A deep, richly flavored chocolate needs a similarly deep, rich wine. Likewise a chocolate light in flavor needs a light wine. Besides matching flavor intensity, you can also match the flavor notes, like nuts, fruits or florals, in the chocolate to the ones in a particular wine.
Let’s explore some prime taste matches keeping these guidelines in mind.
Chocolate and white wine pairings
Although bittersweet dark chocolate is not seen as a natural complement to white wine, don’t discount its partnership to a zippy White Zinfandel.
If you prefer semi-sweet chocolate, then you’ll want to try it with Muscat. The Muscat will draw out any fruit notes in the dark chocolate.
Moving on to sweeter territory, a creamy milk chocolate goes well with a light-bodied Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc. Milk chocolate also pairs well with Muscats and dessert wines that are sweet enough not to be overpowered by the inherent sweetness of milk chocolate.
If you prefer the creamy, buttery flavor of white chocolate, then you’ll want to enjoy it with a Sherry, Moscato d’Asti or an Orange Muscat. The Sherry and Moscato d’Asti will pick up the creaminess of the chocolate, whereas the Orange Muscat will complement any fruit undertones.
Another prime pair for white chocolate is Champagne, especially a sweet Demi-sec. Champagnes typically fall on the drier spectrum of wines, which is why it’s best to stick with a sweet champagne to enjoy with your chocolate.
Don’t forget that you can always match the flavors of the chocolate to the flavors in wine. For instance a chocolate with citrus flavor will naturally go with a wine with citrus notes like a Sauvignon Blanc. Likewise a chocolate caramel will be an ideal match for a similar Chardonnay.
Now that you know the best chocolates for white wine, it’s time to taste. Enjoy!
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