Pairing wine with chocolate

Matching wine to chocolate can be tricky, especially if you listen to the text books that state that desserts should only be partnered with wines that are sweeter. And if you're eating cheap greasy chocolate any dry wine will taste horrible with it. Having said that my favourite dessert in a restaurant is a chocolate brownie or chocolate fondant partnered with a fruity dry red wine, like a Zinfandel or Shiraz. So how else can you pair these two gorgeous food groups successfully?

It will be down to the quality of the chocolate, its origin and the cocoa content. I don't know the ins and outs but I do know this is becoming a well-studied area, but there's still not enough information to make any sweeping judgments. To be sure, I'd say stick to sweeter fortified wines like Sherry, Port, Madeira... but why not experiment?

• ThirtyFifty do in-home chocolate and wine pairing evenings with Rococo for £35-40 per head CLICK HERE to find out more.
• Scharffen Berger sell chocolate kits to be paired with wine for you to host a party in your own home, but you'll have to ship it in from the states. To find out more CLICK HERE.
• You could try a chocolate flavoured wine called Rubis. To be honest, I don't like it, but I know many people who would rather drink it to normal wine any day! Find out more HERE.

I have, however, found perfect chocolate to pair with wine, from Brix. This is chocolate that has specifically been made to partner with wine, using high quality ingredients and methods. This is what they offer:

• Extra Dark 70% Cocoa for Cabernet and Bordeaux
• Medium Dark 60% Cocoa for Zinfandel, Merlot, and Shiraz
• Smooth Dark 54% Cocoa for Champagne, Riesling, and Pinot Noir
• Milk Chocolate 46% Cocoa for Dessert Wine and Burgundy

Totally delicious, and I was very surprised especially to find there is a chocolate to partner with Champagne. Come to one of my Pop-Up wine nights in Marlow, England (find out more HERE) and try some!

The message I will leave you with though, if you find a chocolate and wine pairing you enjoy, then do it, don't worry about what anyone else thinks!

To find out more about Princess and the Pinot and our pop-up wine bars please visit www.princessandthepinot.com