The 3 best wines with chocolate
1 Port Sweet fortified red
Ruby or LBV Port with dark chocolate is the gold standard.
Serve Ruby 60-64°F; Tawny 55-60°F Ruby from $15; 10-year Tawny $30
2 Zinfandel Bold, fruity red
A ripe Zin can work with dark chocolate (70%+) if it’s not too sweet.
Serve 60-65°F Good bottles $12-$30
3 Sauternes & dessert whites Sweet white
For white chocolate desserts.
Serve 45-50°F Half bottles from $20
Best on a budget: A Ruby Port for about $15.
Also good
What to avoid
- Dry Champagne and dry reds with sweet chocolate. They taste bitter and sour.
It depends how you cook it
| If you’re having… | Pour |
|---|---|
| Dark chocolate (70%+) | Port or a ripe Zinfandel. |
| Chocolate cake | Ruby Port. |
| Chocolate-covered strawberries | Brachetto d’Acqui or Moscato. |
Why chocolate is tricky
Chocolate is sweet, bitter and fatty all at once, and it coats your mouth. A dry wine next to it tastes sour and thin, and tannic reds can clash with chocolate’s own bitterness. The fix is sweetness: fortified wines like Port have enough sugar and body to stand up to chocolate.
Tip: the darker the chocolate, the more flexible it is. With 70%+ dark chocolate, a ripe, jammy Zinfandel can work. With milk chocolate desserts, stick to sweet wines.
Frequently asked questions
Does red wine go with chocolate?
Only some: fortified wines like Port work best. Dry reds often taste bitter with sweet chocolate.
Tried this pairing?
What readers poured
Tried Chocolate? Tell us which bottle you opened and how it went. The first good one goes right here.
