02/11/08 Wine & Chocolate

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. This is the week that many of you celebrate the work of cupid. You know Valentine's Day. And of course the question I get most is what kind of red wine should I get to go with my chocolate? Well I will begin by admitting that I am not a big fan of wine and chocolate together. But because so many people are I have had the pleasure of participating in a few tastings to pair wine and chocolate and this is what I discovered. The wine is best when it is as sweet as the chocolate, maybe even just a touch sweeter. Match lighter more delicate chocolates with lighter bodied wines and when you move into those dark bittersweet chocolates pair them with very intense wines such as monster California Zinfandel. If you are tasting many different wines and chocolates, work from white to light to dark. In the case of really good rich white chocolate  not that waxy imitation stuff look for sweeter styles of Sherry like Pedro Ximinez. Or try it with Moscato d'Asti or an Orange Muscat. Any of those pick up the creaminess and really show off both the wine and the white chocolate. Myself I like Ruby port and chocolate molten cake if I have to have wine and chocolate. Happy Valentine's Day and thanks for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.