VALENTINE'S DAY PAIRINGS

What should you drink on Valentine’s Day to pair with your meal and make your day that much more romantic? There’s so much to choose from: white or red wine, sweet or sparkling wine, cider or ale.  The most important thing to keep in mind is that the sweetness of chocolate can be overpowering and can ruin a good wine. However, most red wine with rounded tannins pairs well with chocolate. In general, try to match the style and weight of your wines and chocolate. For instance, a lighter and more refined chocolate will pair well with a lighter bodied wine and a darker chocolate will pair well with a fuller bodied wine.

My first choice for Valentine’s Day is Jorge Ordonez Selection - Pedro Ximenez ''Alvear''. It’s a Sherry-like dessert wine that’s beautifully balanced with aromas of prunes, apricots, and gingerbread and will pair perfectly with chocolate. The retail price for this extraordinary wine is approximately $50.

 Instead of a traditional wine, you can also pair your meal – and your chocolate desserts – with beer. Darker ales and stouts pair very well with chocolate. If I had to choose a beer for this Valentine’s Day, I would choose a Brouwerij Lindemans - Lambic peach or strawberry. The beer is just sweet enough to not overpower the chocolate and will cleanse your palate with a touch of acidity; it retails for $15 on average. If you happen to like spicier tastes and richer chocolates, an IPA pairs very well with dark chocolate.

As always, pairing alcohol and food is very subjective and depends on individual taste. But Valentine’s Day pairings pose a real problem – you don’t want to mess up your romantic evening with clashing tastes and the wrong beverage. So we’ve included additional tips about finding the best wine or beer below. Good luck!


OUR TIPS FOR VALENTINE'S DAY

White Chocolate: Late harvest wines , Tokaji and Riesling.

Milk Chocolate: Merlot. Pinot Noir,  Gewurztraminer, Stouts, Lambic and sweet sparkling wines.

Dark Chocolate: Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, darker Ale. Pedro Ximenez and  Muscat de Rivesaltes.

Chocolate with Nuts: Madeira, Pedro Ximenez, Muscat de Rivesaltes.

Chocolate with Caramel: Madeira, Pedro Ximenez, Lambic and sweet sparkling wines.

Fadi-

Pedro Ximenez - Alvear

Lambic Peach