Pairing Wine With Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Imagine a special dinner, on a special day like St. Valentine’s Day. Imagine a special menu created only for the occasion. Imagine the best company you could be with. Now, imagine that you’re already had the main courses and the dinner is coming to its end. The perfect end for this dinner then, the dessert. Your friendly server comes to your table with a special treat, Chocolate Covered Strawberries. And then they ask you whether you would like to pair it with a glass of wine. What then, will it be for you?

It may be a glass of Moscato d’Asti for a more delicate, bubbly finish, that would help you to celebrate this special occasion! Or a glass of sweet fortified or naturally sweet wine, such as black or white Ruby or Tawny Ports or Banyuls. These are more intense due to their full body, high alcohol percentage and aromas of chocolate, caramel, nuts, and dried fruits. The sweetness of the chocolate, white or black, requires some sugars in the wine as well. Sweet wines like Pedro Ximenez or, for milk or white chocolate, French Sauternes or Riesling are the perfect pairs. Dry options for those who don’t like too much sweetness? A big bold new world Cabernet Sauvignon!

Wine Characteristics To Pair With Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Characteristic	Detail
Sweetness	Sweet
Acidity	Low – Medium – High
Tannins	Low – Medium
Body	Medium – Full
Tasting Notes	Blossom, Orange Peel, Peach, Apricot, Chocolate, Caramel, Nuts, Dried Fruit, Cherry, Plums

Best Red Wine To Drink With Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Port

This Portuguese fortified wine from Portugal is naturally the best pair for chocolates. Its versatility in styles, from basic Ruby’s to Vintages, for more sophisticated palates. White Ruby Ports can be an attractive option for milk chocolate thanks to the absence of tannins and a more delicate taste, while red Ruby ports will pair perfectly with black chocolate due to the presence of tannins and its acidity, helping to cleanse your mouth. The strawberries will bring forward the red and black fruit aromas in the wine.

Pedro Ximenez

Naturally sweet wine from the South of Spain, near the city of Jerez de la Frontera. Its tendency to accumulate sugars and the maturation process makes this wine full bodied with a syrup-consistency and full of raisins and molasses flavours. High luxury level!

Cabernet Sauvignon

Big bold Cabernet Sauvignon from the New World – especially Californian ones – are an interesting option for people who don’t love too much sugar on their tongue. In fact, these wines are dry but thanks to their intense aromas of chocolate, coffee, vanilla and jammy red fruits, they are a good pair for chocolate and strawberries.

Banyuls

From the zone of Roussillon in South of France, this wine is a Grenache-based sweet fortified wine. Produced in small productions, and with jammy and juicy flavours of cherries and plum with a moderate level of alcohol of around 17% abv, this wine provides an interesting and unique alternative for those feeling a bit more adventurous or like going the extra mile.

Best White Wine To Drink With Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Moscato d’Asti

Sugary, floral and fruity characters are what we look for in the pair for strawberries and chocolate (especially white chocolate!). Its flavours and aromas of orange blossom, apricot, peach coupled with a high residual sugar and low alcohol make this wine a great option to finalise a dinner with. Moreover, its subtle bubbles will help you to turn any normal day into a special day!

Riesling

Rieslings are very versatile wines and – as Port does –can come in a very wide range of styles. For this special occasion, we choose a Spätlese Riesling. Spätlese means “off-dry”, so with high sugar content but accompanied with natural high acidity that helps to refresh the mouth from the dense sensation of the chocolate. In this way, not overwhelming the mouth and enabling us to have an enjoyable new sensation in our palates.

Sauternes

One of the most classical sweet wines comes from the area of Bordeaux, in France. Its rich aromas of honey, tropical fruits, as well as its naturally high acidity and sugar, will create a balance in your mouth with the delicate taste of the strawberries and the chocolate – preferably white chocolate.