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A Lesson in Wine-and-Chocolate Pairing

BY Chelsea Morse | POSTED NOVEMBER 18, 2010 AT 3:58PM EST

I’m fairly certain I have the most fun job in the world. Yesterday I attended a chocolate-and-wine pairing event hosted by Green & Black’s, the UK brand of organic, fair-trade chocolate. Micah Carr-Hill, the company’s Global Head of Taste (how’s that for a title? His job might be even more fun than mine) guided a group of journalists and bloggers through a pairing of six different chocolates, with wines ranging from a lychee-scented Gewürztraminer for the Peanut & Sea Salt Chocolate (my favorite) to a spicy Amarone-style red with the 85% Dark Chocolate. This was experiential learning at its best: We discovered through tasting that floral whites often complement milk chocolate’s sweetness, and more astringent reds can bring out vanilla notes in bitter dark chocolate. I’ve always assumed that big, tannic reds are chocolate’s best match, but my new favorite chocolate-friendly wine was actually a raisiny sherry, which played on the chocolate’s earthy, nutty flavors. Green & Black’s has also published a new book of chocolate-dessert recipes, just released in the US last week, available here. I’ll be showing off my new pairing inspirations when I try out the recipes at our holiday party this year.

A Lesson in Wine-and-Chocolate Pairing

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