Wine to go with chocolate

By Susy Atkins

Avoid anything very dry, whether it’s fizz, or white, or rosé, as it will taste stripped-down and tart next to the creamy richness of anything chocolatey. The only exception is sweetly-ripe (as opposed to sugary) red wine which can work with chocolate cakes and tarts. Try an Argentinian malbec, for example. 

Honeyed pudding wine remains the best bet, though. Rich golden styles such as sweet muscat or orange muscat, Australian sweet semillon, and tokaji from Hungary are all sublime with chocolate desserts. But to accompany an after-dinner snack of bitter plain chocolate, I recommend a small glass of tawny port. Tawny (as opposed to red) port is aged for many years in oak barrels, emerging soft, mellow and amber-coloured, with nutty, toffee notes. Buy a well-aged one for fullness of flavour and serve it lightly chilled. This adds a refreshing, succulent note to the port. Now bring out your very best, very darkest plain chocolate – delectable!

The wonderful sweet red wines of southern France are another quirky alternative to ‘normal’ dessert wines. Try a glass of lightly chilled sweet, purple maury or banyuls with chocolate, especially if you are usually a red wine lover.

Find the delicious. team’s favourite chocolate recipes here.