Wine & Chocolate
a perfect pairing?
By: Lisa Burgess

I have to confess - I’ve never been a fan of combining wine and chocolate. You see, I’m a fanatical purist when it comes to the cocoa bean. I don’t mix it with fruit. I’ll include a sauce, as long as it, too, is chocolate.

Sometimes I’ll allow a nut or two, but mostly I just want pure, unadulterated high-quality dark chocolate. And I eat it daily! In fact I don’t remember the last day I didn’t have at least some chocolate.

It comes up regularly in my work as a wine professional to choose wines to pair with food and, inevitably, with chocolate desserts. Without fail, I discourage the pairing. Don’t skip it entirely, I will urge, just give the guests the chocolate to go. To me, and I’m sure I do not stand alone because I’ve had this discussion with several others who share my opinion, chocolate desserts are meant to be consumed at the very least with feet up, even better if you can be lying back on the couch with a fire going and under a blanket, remote control in hand. Really good chocolate is so satisfying to me, in fact, that to introduce a foreign flavor is a distraction from my indulgent chocoholic experience. But that’s me.

So, I looked to some friends and staff to get their opinions on different chocolate and wine pairings. As anticipated, it wasn’t difficult to get them to participate. So here is the lineup of some of my favorite wines, some amazing chocolate, and the results as experienced by this expertly diverse panel of chocolate and wine lovers:

The Wines
• Bouvet Brut Rose (French Sparkling Wine)
• 2004 Robert Hall Viognier, Paso Robles
• 2005 Robert Hall Rose d’ Robles, Paso Robles
• 2004 Famiglia Bianchi Malbec, Argentina
• 2005 Gemtree Vyds. Bloodstone Shiraze, McLaren Vale Australia
• 2003 Merryvale Cabernet, Stairmont, Napa Valley
• 2005 Bouchaine “Bouche d’Or” Late Harvest Chardonnay, Carneros (Napa)
• Quinta do Noval Special Reserve, Porto (Ruby Port)
• Chateau Reynella “Old Cave” Fine Old Tawny Port, aged 12 years, McLaren Vale, Australia
• Maison Surrenne Petite Champagne, Cognac

The Chocolate
• Pistoles Dark Chocolate (60% Cocoa)
• White Chocolate Mousse
• Chocolate Cr�me Brulee
• Chocolate Marquis (frozen milk chocolate dessert)
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
• Almond Joy
• Cherry Mash
• Butterfinger

The group was instructed to first taste the wine, then one of the chocolate desserts, and then the same wine again and record what their perception was of the effect on either the wine or the food. In other words, what changed? There were only a couple of common threads among the group, which supports my belief that everyone experiences all food and wine differently, however slightly. But there were definitely strong opinions!

Overall the majority of the group found the following to be true:
• Tannin (the natural preservative found in the skins, stems and seeds of red grapes) creates a drying effect on the palate. It definitely plays a significant role when it comes to pairing food and wine in general. Chocolate with highly tannic wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are no exception. About half of the group liked those pairings.
• Acid, which also creates first a drying effect, and then a cleansing effect on the palate, seemed to have more to do with overall successful matches. So, wines higher in acid showed better with chocolate.
• Sugar levels really messed with stuff. All agreed that they prefer a sweeter wine rather than a dry wine when eating chocolate.

What Worked?
Well, working in a progression from lightest in body, then fuller bodied, then sweet wines, we all took on the arduous task of tasting each of the wines with each of the desserts and writing down anything that came to mind.

Overall, Robert Hall Viognier with the white chocolate was enjoyed, and we all thought the two port wines and the Cognac were best with chocolate. (One taster’s favorite was the Tawny port with Reece’s Peanut Butter Cup.) The tasters were very surprised at the interesting characteristics that came out of the wine and the chocolate when combined. But what was really thrilling was turning so many people on to Port wine!

My personal results: I remain a chocolate purist, and I enjoyed every one of the wines. One more confession: I took the unconsumed chocolate home and hit the couch!

Contact Lisa Burgess at 913.888.7820 or visit her website at www.livewellservewell.com.