Wine and Chocolate the Perfect Couple

You don’t have to be a connoisseur to participate in the latest thing to hit a candy bar since foil wrappers. You don’t have to know if white or red goes better with a good rib eye steak. You don’t have to know your Californians from your Australians from your Italians. Or your dry whites from, well, whatever isn’t. All you have to do is be a good matchmaker.
Hosting a wine and chocolate party is somewhat like being a good marriage broker. Every yenta has her “list” of eligible, desirable bachelors to choose from. Every wine and chocolate hostess should have a similar list. You can start with the wine, or you can start with the chocolates – it really doesn’t matter. I’d suggest going with whichever you are most comfortable with. If you don’t know Chablis from Champagne, start with the sweet stuff. If you aren’t quite certain just what those percentage of cacao numbers are telling you, better hit the wine cellar first. Either way you go, you can’t lose as long as you choose sweeter wines and/or a variety of chocolates. You’ll want red and white wine both, as well as some bubbly. On the chocolate side of things, try to select fro the entire spectrum – dark, milk, white, and a few of the in betweens.
White chocolate may seem like a misnomer and I’m certain Montezuma and the rest of his cacao-pioneering band of Aztecs would probably be frightened to death of the pale, ghostly stuff. It has, however, its own merits in the chocolate world. Its light, smooth, buttery creaminess helps it to stand out among its darker cousins, despite its lack of any real cocoa butter. I suppose you could say it was the pinnacle of chocolate engineering. What goes best with the stuff that’s tops of the lists – from the winning jockey to the New Year? Why champagne, of course! Now, you needn’t have the “real” stuff from the Champagne region of France. A nice sparkling domestic will do the trick just as well. If you and your guests are in the mood for something a bit noble and different, try a good Sherry. If a more subtle taste experience is desired, pairing white chocolate with a crème or chocolate liqueur is sure to delight the pallette.
Milk chocolate may seem too common for a party. After all, it’s been America’s favorite chocolate since Milton Hershey way back in the 1890’s, right? It’s that common, every man experience that makes it a wonderful addition to your wine and chocolate party, especially if all or most of your guests have never been to one before. The milder, less complicated taste and aroma of milk chocolate make it a perfect pairing with Merlot, Pinot Noir or tawny port. Port has a nuttiness that compliments milk chocolate’s caramel undertones, while the darker wines will bring out its creamy, subtle chocolate side to perfection.

Source : articlesbase