How to pick a wine that’ll work with chocolate

Need a chocolate fix? That doesn’t mean you have to put down your wine glass. Here’s how to pair the two together

While chocolate and wine may not seem like the perfect pairing, choosing the right variety and sticking with quality chocolate can make the two a perfect end to a decadent lunch or dinner.

With well-balanced sweetness, a noble late harvest or fortified wine is usually your best bet for pairing wine and chocolate.

“Served ice cold, the Axe Hill Cape White NV is a solera-aged fortified Chenin Blanc wine that brings out seductive honey and raisin fruit flavours,” says Michael Bampfield-Duggan, owner of Wine Concepts in Newlands. “I look forward to savouring it with a slab of Belgian Cachet lemon and pepper chocolate.”

story_article_left1

The Axe Hill is a good match for sweeter chocolates, while the Rietvallei Red Muscadel 2015 is a seductive option for a slab of dark chocolate. Dark chocolate, usually made with greater than 70% cocoa content, is also the more interesting choice to pair with red wines, balancing sweetness, bitterness and acidity.

A wine offering up plenty of spice, pepper and acidity is usually a good match for that slab of 70% dark chocolate. The Chakalaka from Paarl estate Spice Route is a fine choice for anything with cinnamon or spices in it: packed with Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Grenache and more, it can easily stand up to your chocolatey cravings. If you fancy a Cabernet Sauvignon, such as the five-star Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection, a bar studded with rock salt offers well-balanced salty and savoury notes.

Waterford Estate’s acclaimed Kevin Arnold Shiraz is another sure-fire winner for serving with a slab of dark chocolate, and at the cellar it’s offered for tasting alongside bespoke chocolates from Overberg chocolatier Richard Von Geusau.

In the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Creation Wines also offers a refined chocolate-and-wine pairing, with specially crafted bars bringing out the best in their range of cool-climate wines.

“We have two white chocolates, tempered and flavoured to fit the profile of the Creation viognier and Pinot Noir respectively, then a milk chocolate for the Syrah and a dark chocolate for the Merlot,” says Carolyn Martin, Creation Wines co-owner, who warns that low-quality commercial chocolate is a poor partner for fine wine.

This article was originally published in one of the Sunday Times Neighbourhood: Property and Lifestyle guides. Visit yourneighbourhood.co.za, like YourNeighbourhoodZA on Facebook and follow YourHoodZA on Twitter.