How to pair red wine with chocolate

ByGitanjali Roche, 04/21/2015

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Why chocolate doesn't work with dry reds

The sweetness

Chocolate, especially in dessert-form, tends to be sweet. Sugar brings out the more aggressive side of the tannins found in red wine, as well as intense bitterness.

This is definitely not what you're looking for in a successful wine pairing! So unless you have a bar of 100% chocolate in front of you, it's better to avoid this doomed duo.

The strength

When you eat chocolate, the only thing you can taste in your mouth is...chocolate! It's quite rare to be able to detect other flavors, and if you can, you'll probably notice the taste of dried fruits thanks to the acidity and spice of the chocolate.

However one of the most essential wine pairing rules is that the food and wine pairing needs to be equal in strength -- one shouldn't overpower the other. So even if you opt for a tannin-heavy wine, it's still pretty unlikely that you'll find one that's strong enough to match the strength of chocolate.

Chef Tips and Tricks

VIDEO: Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies

These salted caramel thumbprint cookies are easy to make and super delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup / 50g of softened butter
1 egg (divide the yolk and white)
1/4 cup / 50g of sugar
Pinch of sea salt
1 cup / 150g of flour
1 cup / 100g of chopped nuts
Salted caramel
Melted dark chocolate

METHOD:

In a bowl, mix together the butter, egg yolk, sugar, and salt.
Add the flour and mix. Roll into a ball.
Chill for 30 minutes.
Remove from refrigerator. Divide the dough and roll into 1-inch balls.
Dip each ball in egg yolk, and then roll in chopped nuts.
Place on baking sheet (lined with parchment paper), and press your thumb into the center.
Bake at 340°F/170°C for 12 minutes, or until golden.
Remove from oven and let cool.
Pour the salted caramel into the center groove,and drizzle with dark chocolate.
Enjoy!