spirits & chocolate
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I decided to write about two things that go hand in hand with the holiday of romance: wine and chocolate. Chocolate is fun to pair, though quite difficult due to its complexity of flavors and styles of preparation. What makes chocolate so fickle with wine is the fact that it can be simultaneously bitter, sweet, acidic and sometimes even spicy.

Like craft beer and whiskey, chocolate also has gone through an artisanal trend. Single-source chocolate and local artisanal confectionaries are popping up across the nation, and educated consumers are ‘geeking out’ about their chocolate as much as they do about their alcohol.

playing matchmaker
When pairing wine with chocolate, we must consider the flavor profile of the wine and the ingredients and style of dish we are pairing.

As a rule, delicate wines will not play well with chocolate unless the chocolate is a subtle component of otherwise savory ingredients and flavors. Vino Nobile Montepulciano or Amarone (not so delicate) are great wines to pair with savory meat dishes that have chocolate as a flavor component.

Chocolate is much easier to pair when it comes to decadent desserts. The richer the dessert, the sweeter the style of wine you should pair with it. Suggestions include Port, Malmsey Madeira, Dolce Marsala, Demi sec Champagnes, Vin Santo, and one of my favorites, Passito-style red wines from Italy.

White chocolate also can be used in cooking and takes its own alcohol pairings. When in savory dishes, it pairs well with acidic whites like Sancerre or an interesting Pecorino from Italy. Lighter (in color) sweet wines like Vin Santo, late-harvest Rieslings, or Sauternes pair well with white chocolate confections and desserts.

this with that …
CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE WITH RASPBERRY SAUCE: Graham’s Six Grapes Reserve Port, $20, or Bonotto delle Tezze Raboso Passito 2010, $31
TIRAMISU WITH CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO CENTER: Rare Wine Co. Historic Series Madeira New York Malmsey, $40
CHOCOLATE-COVERED STRAWBERRIES: Roederer Estate Brut Rosé Sparkling Wine, $28, or Marc Hebrart Brut Rosé Champagne, $65

Jeffrey Hall is the sommelier for the Four Seasons Hotel-St. Louis.