Chocorific - European Chocolates

European Chocolates

What goes well with European chocolates? A fine wine. But knowing which wine goes with which European chocolates is almost as tricky, maybe even trickier, than figuring out what kind of wine goes well with different meats or desserts.

European Chocolates with Wine

If you have a sophisticated palate when it comes to wine and chocolate, you might want to consider pairing the two. You've probably tried wine with cheese, so why not try this interesting combination? It's hard to compare the experience of combining European chocolates and fine wines, but learning about the many combinations is exciting because wine can draw out chocolate's different and complex flavors.

To find he best pairings of European chocolates and wine, you need to find the right balance between fruitiness, sweetness and acidity. As a rule, dark or bittersweet chocolates go well with red wines, while white chocolates and milk chocolates go well with blush wines and sweeter white wines. This rule of thumb is a good starting point.

Since European chocolates offers over 400 flavors, and wine also offers a wide array of flavors, experimenting is the only way you'll find your own personal favorite combinations. This can be very time consuming, but also very fun--especially if you hold a wine and chocolate pairing party. This is similar to holding a wine tasting party, but obviously the focus is more on the pairings of specific wines with different kinds of chocolates. This is an enjoyable way to bring friends together and learn something new about yourself and each other. Here are some tips on having a successful pairing party:

Only invite 4-8 guests.
Ask everyone to bring a bottle of wine. Perhaps suggest a different kind for each guest to bring. This helps to keep your cost down, and people usually don't mind bringing something.
Hold the party at least two hours after dinner but still somewhat early in the evening. 8:00 is perfect. (This will give taste buds time to recover from the evening meal and not mix flavors.)
Play relaxing music and light candles to set the mood.
Provide different chocolate desserts for guests to enjoy afterwards.
Have everyone write down what their favorite pairings are for future reference. That way, if you need a gift for a person who was at your party, you can get them a bottle of their favorite wine and box of their favorite chocolate to go with it.

You may decide you don't like wine and chocolate together. But you won't know if you don't at least try!