How to pair wine and chocolate for Valentine's Day

""The number one thing I always tell people is to either go to a higher-end shop or go to a chocolatier, if possible," Milano says. People should also look for chocolate that has cocoa butter listed in the ingredients, she says. When it comes to pairing chocolate with white wines, look for a milk chocolate, and consider picking a buttery white wine to marry with a nutty chocolate, since the fattiness in the nuts plays well with the buttery notes, she says."

"However, she says, people should be careful about mixing bolder, stronger red wines with bold, dark chocolate, because both contain tannins, which can be bitter. Opting instead to pair a bold red wine with a sweeter chocolate provides a better flavor balance, she says. That approach fits with Sahara's pairing strategy. "With wine, there's the contrasting pairing, and then there's the complementary. When they're both bold, doing the contrasting one is good - it brings out something in both things," Sahara says."

Buy chocolate from a higher-end shop or a chocolatier and check for cocoa butter in the ingredients. Pair milk chocolate with white wines and consider buttery whites for nutty chocolates to harmonize with fattiness. Match white chocolate with rosé when strawberry or fruity notes are present. Use lighter red wines with both milk and dark chocolates. Avoid pairing bold, tannic red wines with bold dark chocolate; instead pair bold reds with sweeter chocolate to balance bitterness. Choose either contrasting pairings to highlight contrasts or complementary pairings to create harmony between wine and chocolate.

Read at The Mercury News