Five Incredible Chocolate and Wine Pairings for 2020
We love chocolate here at Consommé - and we love wine. But what we love even more than those two things, are those two things together! Pop the olives back in the jar, pack away the cheeseboard and save the crisps for your picnic - it’s time to grab your favourite bar and pair it with your favourite vino. Not sure where to start? Us either. So, we have called in some favours from some people who do. We challenged James Cadbury, founder of Love Cocoa and Great-Great-Great-Grandson of John Cadbury (the iconic Cadbury’s man himself) who knows a thing or two about chocolate - literally, it’s in his blood and Neil Phillips, better known as The Wine Tipster who has become our go-to wine expert here at Consommé (check out his Summer Virtual Guide here) to pair together all of our favourite chocolate flavours with their best-loved wines for the ultimate Summer 2020 pairing. Just don’t dunk the chocolate into your wine - or do… who are we to stop you.
It’s super easy (and great fun) to pair chocolate with wine. Chocolate styles, like wine, vary enormously so here are some basic tips to get you started from Neil Phillips.
Dark Chocolate has a high level of tannin, so it can pair well with equally tannic wines, which are also richly fruity. Sweet Sherry also works extremely well as a match.
Examples: Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Pedro Ximenez Sherry.
Milk Chocolate is creamy and smooth so a wine with spiciness or spritz, to pick out the chocolate flavour, and a soft texture, makes a good partner and will make your palate tingle.
Examples: oak-aged Chardonnay, Muscat, Pinot Gris, off-dry styles of bubbles and light reds such as Beaujolais or Pinot Noir.
White Chocolate is mild and creamy so it’s important to not overpower with full-on wines. Go for sweet dessert wines or ripe bottles.
Examples: off-dry Rieslings, orange muscats, Rosé’s such as a Pink Moscato.
Apart from the chocolate itself, the additional ingredients in a chocolate bar also have a key part to play, such as sea salt, fruit, nuts and flavourings, so make sure to consider those elements too when finding your perfect match and heres how:
Love Cocoa
Love Cocoa
Maldon Sea Salt
The sea salt within the chocolate will not only awaken the palate but will demand a sweet “ying” to balance its salty “yang”. As we have learnt above, the tannin’s in this intense dark chocolate needs an equally robustness from its wine match. Make sure to emulate and mimic the flavours of this bar - look for a medium-bodied red wine, ideally with notes of cherry, raspberry and plum, soft tannins and elusive smokiness.
James recommends a South African pinot noir such as Lothian Pinot Noir 2017 (OddBins £18.50), hits of spice with gentle Pinotage qualities the salt in the chocolate which will enhance the fruit flavours and blend accordingly with the smokiness.
Neil recommends a Brazin Old Vine Zinfandel 2016 Lodi, California, USA (Waitrose £14.99) which is the perfect partner with its ripe, intense and beautifully rich red fruit flavours, along with a spicy character.
Fancy a curve ball pairing? James notes the warm and peaty aromas of an Islay single malt. For a serious flavour pairing try Laphroaig single malt, medicinal in flavour with a rich amber colour, warm, mature and intense.
Love Cocoa
Peruvian 70% Dark Chocolate
An intense dark chocolate is normally deep, velvety and forceful with notes of dark fruit, ripened plum and concentrated bitter-sweet smokiness which needs something sweet to ground it.
James recommends an Argentinian Malbec such as Diversity of Terroir Premium Malbec (Asda £8) - full bodied with soft tannins and strong notes of cherry and plum would create a wonderfully indulgent treat, its dusky complexity brightened by hints of jammy fruit and working perfectly with this richly nuanced chocolate.
Neil recommends an exquisitely sweet sherry like this Nectar Pedro Ximenez, Gonzalez Byass, Spain (Oddbins £15.75) which is a wonderful match for dark chocolate.
Fancy a curve ball pairing? For an after dinner experience, James recommends to pair this chocolate with a fruit laden espresso - choose a coffee with hints of rich cherry and almond; perfect in lieu of a dessert course.
Love Cocoa
Earl Grey
This blend was a new introduction to Neil who commented: “I love this idea and I’m a huge Earl Grey tea fan too. This gorgeous chocolate says to me that it’s time for some fun”
James recommends a Rioja wine or a Pinot Noir. Or, in fact any wine made using a blend of Tempranillo or Pinot Noir grapes .The low acidic levels in this variety blend well with the sophisticated flavour profiles of the Earl Grey bar, especially with the predominant citrus undertones from the Earl Grey's Bergamot oil which prevents the wine from feeling too dry, or tart.
Neil recommends a super lively wine with a refreshing character such as the lovely frizzante (semi-sparkling), semi-sweet Adriano Moscato d'Asti 2018, Italy (Slurp Wine £11.95)
Fancy a curve ball pairing? James recommends a citrus laden IPA or Riesling. Chose an IPA with notes of grapefruit and lime which will marry perfectly with the bergamot oil or a young Riesling with its steely, mineral qualities combined with notes of citrus blossom, lime and Meyer lemon would work remarkably well.
Love Cocoa
English Mint
Mint chocolate is unbelievably diverse so make sure to focus on the type of chocolate it is. If you are pairing with a mint chocolate, make sure to take notes from our chocolate variety profile above to pair with the correct origin - milk, dark or white. For this one:
James recommends a fresh, metallic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc - Mud House (Majestic £8.99). The classic mint flavour and rich texture of this dark chocolate bar complement the elderflower, citron and gooseberry notes in the wine. Only a small piece of chocolate is needed to make a wonderful combination for your taste buds.
Neil recommends a full bodied intense red, a Cabernet Sauvignon, which, as well its blackcurrant leaf aroma, often has a slight minty top note too which will pick out the mint in this chocolate. Louis M Martini Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, Sonoma County, California (The Great Wine Co. £21.50).
Fancy a curveball pairing? James has gone a little out there with this one, but why not go for a more fun and vibrant pairing in the way of an aged extra anejo tequila? The lively, grassy warmth of the tequila would emphasise the coolness of the mint, whilst the richness of the chocolate would mellow the experience.
Love Cocoa
Honeycomb
Bars with honeycomb are notoriously sweet but work with an equally honeyed and fruity variety of wine.
James recommends Pedro Ximenez (Tesco, £6) which has aromas of raisins, molasses, figs, toffee and honey - unsurpassed sweetness and prolonged length. The ultimate sweet wine for the ultimate sweet chocolate.
Neil recommends an off-dry, fruity, beautifully balanced and attractively packaged Astoria Prosecco DOC Treviso Extra Dry "Galìe" (Gerrard Seel £12.95), with honey tones to go fantastically well with the honeycomb in this chocolate too.
Fancy a curveball pairing? James recommends - Tregothnan Manuka infused tea, grown on the shores of Cornwall creates a sweet complexity blending well with the sweetness of the honeycomb.