This Valentine’s Day grab your sweetheart, a box of chocolates, and a bottle or two of red wine!

Yes, red wine definitely goes well with dark chocolate.

Why? Because chocolate has tannin, just like wine has tannin, red wine in particular. I have found through experience that dark chocolate definitely goes better with red wine because the chocolate is less sweet. If it is milk chocolate, then open up a wine that is fruitier and/or sweeter, to match the sweetness of the chocolate. If it is dark chocolate, then open a heavier tannic wine. The sweetness in milk chocolate can make dry red wine taste much more tannic or drier, even acidic.

So this Valentines Day, grab your sweetheart and a box of dark chocolates and a full-bodied red wine. When you get home, literally sit down and enjoy the whole box, but wash it down with the red wine. Experiment with different kinds of chocolate and red wines, but don’t worry about getting a headache from the chocolate, however watch out for that second bottle of wine.

Note: One chocolate bar has only about 1% of the tannin that a bottle of red wine does, so don’t worry about getting a headache from the chocolate after indulging.

Remember: Sweeter chocolate such as milk chocolate need sweeter wines. I would also recommend trying a Port or even a Sherry or Icewine. But my favourite is definitely dark chocolate with dry reds.

Just enjoy and at the very least …. try both. It will be a great night either way.

Gotta love the KISS method, and it is so appropriate for Valentine’s Day. Wait… did I say that out loud.

Happy Valentines Day!

Image Credit: fast1fred