I’m often asked in the shop: “Which wine goes with your chocolate?” And nine times out of ten, the person follows up with something like: “A good tannic red, I imagine?”
Well… no. Or rather: not only that. And that’s precisely what makes the pairing of wine and chocolate so fascinating.
Forget the reflex of “full-bodied red with dark chocolate”
The idea of systematically pairing a powerful red wine with intense dark chocolate is probably the most stubborn misconception in pairing. On paper, it seems logical: two strong products, two pronounced profiles, put them together. Except in the mouth, it’s often a disaster. The tannins in the wine clash with the bitterness of the cocoa, the chocolate’s sugar overwhelms the wine’s aromas, and you end up with a metallic taste that ruins both.
The truth is that chocolate pairs with a huge range of different wines. Dry whites, sparkling wines, naturally sweet wines, low-tannin wines, sweet wines… As long as a few balancing rules are respected.
The golden rule: sugar balance
If there is only one thing to remember, it would be this: the wine’s sugar level must be equal to or higher than that of the chocolate. If the chocolate is sweeter than the wine, the wine will seem acidic, dry, or even unpleasant. That is often where pairings fail.
Beyond sugar, you also need to think about aromatic intensity, texture, and acidity. A grand cru dark chocolate at 70% cocoa, fruity and tangy, does not call for the same partner as a salted butter caramel praline. Logical, but often forgotten.
Three pairing families to help you find your way
To structure a tasting, we generally work around three approaches:
Resonance pairing — we look for shared aromas between the chocolate and the wine. A dark chocolate with red fruit notes paired with a wine that develops the same nuances: they reinforce each other, it’s indulgent, it’s obvious. The kind of pairing that makes you smile from the first sip.
Harmony pairing — not identical, but complementary profiles. A milk chocolate with hazelnut and a lightly oaked wine: the flavors interact, answer each other, enrich one another.
Contrast pairing — the boldest and often the most memorable. It plays on opposition: a very intense chocolate with a lively mineral white, or a creamy praline with a racy sparkling wine. When it works, it’s spectacular.
Some (truly) surprising ideas
Here are three combinations we love introducing in workshops — just to make you want to try them:
- A Gewürztraminer with a raspberry-lychee chocolate praline, or even a white chocolate with hazelnuts / rose petals — a resonance pairing in pink and exotic notes, intensely fragrant.
- An Italian Barbera with a pine nut / Parmigiano Reggiano praline — the salty-toasted pairing that surprises and works remarkably well.
- A aged VDN with a 70% dark chocolate tile and a blue cheese — when you start playing with three elements, you enter another dimension.
We also love stepping off the beaten path by working with Belgian wines (yes, they exist, and they’re increasingly good), lesser-known Italian wines, sunny Spanish wines, or New World wines. Every region has its gems to accompany chocolate.
A shared experience
What we love about this kind of tasting is that it’s best enjoyed with others. With friends on a Saturday night, with family for a special occasion, or with colleagues for a slightly different corporate event — it’s always a moment that gets people talking. People taste, compare, debate, and are surprised. And they leave with lots of ideas in their heads.
Our goal at Concept Chocolate is to share our passion for artisanal chocolate by elevating it with the right pairings. No fuss, no sommelier jargon — just real tasting, in a friendly atmosphere, with clear explanations of what’s happening on the palate and why.
And if we took it one step further? Wine + chocolate + cheese
A little anecdote that made me want to write this article: we recently received wonderful feedback from a group of customers who loved the wine & chocolate experience… and challenged us by asking whether we could go even further by adding a cheese dimension.
Well yes, it’s possible. And it’s even fascinating. Imagine a 18-month aged Comté, a dark chocolate, a homemade pecan praline and a Vin Jaune from the Jura on the same board. Pure bliss. See photo below!
It’s not a standard formula — it’s more of a tailor-made experience reserved for true gourmands, the curious, and those who really want to experience something different. If that appeals to you, just ask us when booking.
Book your wine & chocolate tasting in Brussels
Our tasting workshops take place in our workshop on Rue des Chardons in Schaerbeek, in a small group, with chocolates made just a few meters from the tasting table. It’s intimate, indulgent, and designed to leave you remembering the evening for a long time.
Want to try the experience? Whether you’re looking for a classic wine & chocolate pairing, or the “full experience” version with cheese, we’ll build the tasting with you according to your wishes and the number of participants.
Book a wine & chocolate tasting →
Concept Chocolate — Artisan chocolate maker in Brussels for nearly 40 years
