Wine and chocolate are such an iconic pairing, but like many dynamic duos, things can go awry if the circumstances are less than ideal. Of course, you want your personal wine and chocolate tasting event to showcase both in their best possible light, but it doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task. Some rules are made to be broken, but some you’re best heeding when it comes to wine pairings. Take a look at the do’s and don’ts from this nearby Janesville Winery below.
What to Do: The Janesville Winery and Chocolate Edition
DO: Spring for high-quality chocolate. There’s no sense turning your nose up at a grocery-aisle favorite for casual snacking but opting for higher-quality chocolate really does improve the experience across the board.
Lean into sweet reds with dark chocolates. Quiz a sommelier about pairing a dark chocolate, and they’re likely to point to the sweetest bottles in their arsenal.
Compensate for tannins. In their natural state, cacao beans are usually purple. This hue indicates the presence of tannins, which are abundant in red wine. There are, however, white cacao beans without these tannins. Chocolate made without these beans similarly lacks tannins, so they can pair beautifully with dry reds. Traditional rules are very clear: dry reds have no place at a chocolate pairings table. Cutting the tannins from your chocolate with white cacao beans? Then it’s definitely a rule you should consider breaking.
What Not to Do: The Wine and Chocolate Edition
Don’t forget the whites! When you’re building a tasting menu, it’s often instinctual to reach for red wines and the dark-to-milk chocolates. White chocolate and white wines, however, can be a little slice of sweet, sweet heaven. Looking at a creamy, sweet milk chocolate? A crisp white can provide the absolute perfect balance.
Don’t neglect the body. Just like wines have bodies, so do different chocolates. Matching a full-bodied chocolate with full-bodied red forces them to share center stage; choosing a delicate chocolate with a flavor-punch red or vice-versa keeps the lighter-bodied of the duo in the shadows.
Don’t forget to experiment! Pairing guidelines are a great starting place, but everyone’s palate is unique. Food and drink are about enjoying the finer things in life, but they’re also about just enjoying the moment you’re in and experimenting. Don’t be afraid to mix and match to your heart’s content; after all, isn’t a wine tasting about finding the things you love and exploring new experiences?
If you’re looking for the perfect Janesville winery to help make your dreams of a wine and chocolate pairing experience come true, look no further than Timber Hill. A versatile lineup of delicious wines makes it easy to mix and match to your heart’s content.