Wine Pairings with Dark chocolate

Dark chocolate is intense, bitter and persistent. Pairing the right wine means finding a bottle that brings out its toasted, spicy and at times fruity notes. You need rich, soft, sweet or spicy wines to lift every nuance of the dark chocolate. Here is how to choose.

Characteristics of Dark Chocolate and General Pairings

• Intensity: high, with notes of cocoa, coffee, spices.
• Bitter and sweet: the more bitter the chocolate, the more structured the wine needs to be.
• Possible additions: dried fruit and nuts, orange peel, chilli.

Best Food and Wine Pairings for Dark Chocolate

Passito and Sweet Wines

• Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG – Great for 70-80% chocolate.
• Malvasia delle Lipari Passito – Ideal with citrus-flavoured dark chocolate.
• Sagrantino di Montefalco Passito – Perfect with chocolate with nuts.

Fortified Wines

• Tawny or Ruby Port – A classic with plain dark chocolate or with hazelnuts.
• Marsala Superiore Dolce – Ideal for dark chocolate desserts or mousses.
• Madeira Bual – Excellent with spiced chocolate.

Structured Reds

• Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG – Interesting with intense dark chocolate, especially with pepper or salt.
• Primitivo di Manduria Dolce Naturale – Soft and enveloping with creamy dark chocolate.

Mistakes to Avoid

• Avoid dry wines, which come across as too austere.
• Watch out for marked tannins, which add to the bitterness of the chocolate.
• Avoid overly fresh wines, which clash too much with the dark chocolate.

Specific Pairings

• 70% pure chocolate → Recioto, Porto Ruby
• Dark chocolate with orange or spices → Malvasia, Madeira Bual
• Dark chocolate with hazelnuts or almonds → Sagrantino Passito, Primitivo Dolce
• Dark chocolate desserts → Marsala Dolce, Amarone