Montezuma's x Wine List Pairing Wheel

Wine and chocolate will probably be at the top of most people’s lists when asked “What has helped you get through lockdown?”. There are many similarities between wine and chocolate, they are both a little naughty and very delicious, but they can also be enjoyed and tasted in similar ways.

Tasting a good wine is much like chocolate, you have to appreciate the mouth feel, the initial flavours, the intensity and the after taste. With this in mind we went straight to The Wine List, experts in wine and tastings to find out how our chocolate could compliment your favourite tipple. As wine and chocolate are both strong flavours in their own rights this was no simple task, a lot of wine and chocolate was consumed (it was a hard day at work).

Let’s start with red…You may initially (like us) have thought that a deep red wine would be the perfect pairing for a rich dark chocolate. You can think again though. Head of wine at The Wine List, Isabelle Lynch, says that the white chocolate is the unexpected best friend to red wine. Red wines light in tannins, such as Syrah or Pinot Noir would be a great accompaniment to our Great White bar. Reds higher in tannins such as Barolo or Cabernet Sauvignon can often clash with food that is high in tannins too, such as dark chocolate.

If you can’t live without your oaky red wines then find a chocolate that is high in salt to balance the tannins, our Happiness bar is just made for this! The extra salt and fat content from hazelnuts pair perfectly with full bodied oak aged red wine that also has a nutty/caramel flavour.

Moving onto white wine. If you are a classic milk chocoholic then get ready to grab the white wine out of your fridge. Full bodied creamy white wines like Sancerre or White Rioja are a match made in heaven for our Smooth operator milk chocolate. Whereas red wine may overpower the chocolate, white wine brings out its sweetness and is just what you need. Dark chocolate also works well here but is more aligned to richer aromatic white wines like Riesling.

As you can see whatever wine tickles your fancy there is the perfect chocolate just waiting to be in your other hand.

To visually see our favourite wine and chocolate pairings take a look at our handy graphic. Why not gather your friends on zoom and show off your new pairing knowledge by hosting a tasting evening? Package up some chocolate and wine for each person or give everyone a shopping list before the event and become the wine connoisseur!