guest post by Rebecca Siggers
edited by Chuao Chocolatier
we are all learning to celebrate life's occasions in different ways these days. but one thing holds true, wine and chocolate make the perfect pair! want to send some but need advice? we've got 7 pairings that could be right up your alley.
Top wine and chocolate pairings, perfect for a wedding gift!
Wanna give the perfect gift to a match made in heaven? whether you're sending something as a gift or able to give it in person, we have some great suggestions for wine and chocolate pairings that make amazing gifts. Choosing the right pair for gifting can be a little tricky (sort of like choosing the right spouse!) unless you know the right compliments for each. It will help if you know the personalities and tastes of the people you are gifting to. For adventure lovers, give them a newly discovered wine and bold chocolate (Firecracker or Potato Chip), and for a traditional person, you can gift them a classic wine with a fan-favorite chocolate, such as Sprinkle Dreams or Oh My S’mores!
Wine and chocolate also symbolize romance, which makes it a perfect gift for the wedding day. The key to gifting wine and chocolates to a newlywed couple is to understand the best way of pairing chocolates and wine. The tannins in wine and the flavonoids in chocolate add to the taste buds. A dry wine with a bar of bitter chocolate might be too harsh on the tongue. Similarly, a bar of white chocolate may not accompany well with a sweet fruity wine. Here are seven wine and chocolates pairing ideas that you can use for a memorable wedding gift.
Merlot with our Chef’s Favorites Bonbons
A little about Merlot: It is a red wine famous for its moderate to low tannins, chocolaty finish, and made from a dark blue-colored wine grape called Merlot. It is a french word which means The Little Blackbird. How cute is that?!
Complementing the moderately dry taste of Merlot is a box of our chocolate bonbons and truffles. Our wild truffle is a chocolate ganache coated in chocolate and rolled in cacao powder that gives a sweet and chocolaty flavor to the taste buds. If the Merlot wine is blended and sweet, you can gift the wine along with our Chef’s Favorites Bonbons, which contain a variety of milk and dark chocolate bonbons and truffles, including the wild truffle. If the Merlot is 100% pure and dry, you can gift the bottle along with a box of our milk chocolate bonbons.
This gift would be apt for someone who has never tried red wine before as it tastes ripe and soft. It is less dry than other red wines and is ideal for anyone who is a beginner to red wines. Similarly, our Chef’s Favorites is a great variety of chocolate bonbons and truffles to allow for multiple flavour offerings.
Cabernet Sauvignon with Mintfully Brownie
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the boldest and most popular varieties of red wine made from a combination of grapes from two regions Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in Bordeaux, France. The wine has a high tannin content and an alcohol content of less than 15%. A bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon is a statement gift for your best friend's wedding. You can buy some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon from Caymus Wine.
This medium to high acidic wine goes well with our Mintfully Brownie chocolate bar. Your friends will love to savor the coolness of the mint crystals and the richness of the dark chocolate and brownie bits along with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon at their wedding or on a relaxing afternoon during the honeymoon!
Moscato with Golden Goodness
Moscato is a sweet sparkling white dessert wine that is low in alcohol. Moscato originates from one of the oldest wine grapes in Italy called the Moscato Bianco grape. The wine comes in various flavors like lemon, orange, peach, and honeysuckle. The Moscato wine is not just available in sparkling white variety but also comes in semi-sparkling (Moscato d'Asti), still, Moscato that is dry but aromatic, pink strawberry Moscato and Red Moscato. One of the best varieties of Moscato that you can give during a wedding is the Moscato d'Asti from the town of Piedmont, Italy.
Since Moscato has a sweet aroma that hides the acidity and dryness of the wine, this wine best compliments with our golden white chocolate. Gift a bottle of Moscato d'Asti along with a sleeve of our Golden Goodness bars, or some mini chocolate bars for them to enjoy. The cocoa butter in the white chocolate complements the fruity aroma of the Moscato and is an excellent dessert option for the newlywed couple. The bitterness of the cacao nibs will help to cut some of the sweetness and the caramel notes will help round out the flavors. Don’t save this one for a golden anniversary, they won’t want to wait that long to enjoy it!
Fino-dry Sherry with Pretzel Toffee Twirl
Sherry is the top wine from Andalucia, Spain, made from Palomino grapes with the extended aging process. Sherry wine is usually dry and also referred to as the whiskey of wines. And if you know our owner, you know how we feel about Whiskey! Sherry is generally strong and has a high alcohol content (>15% BV). The most popular version of Sherry is the lightest Sherry, Fino wine. Fino-dry Sherry ages for two to ten years under a flor layer and has a low shelf life once bottled. It is perfect for a wedding gift as the wine goes well with any meal, especially a wedding feast.
The low acidity of the Fino-dry Sherry compared to other Sherry varieties makes it an excellent choice when complemented with a caramel toffee chocolate, like our Pretzel Toffee Twirl. The sweetness of toffee bits in the chocolate goes well with the dryness of the Fino Sherry wine, and the saltiness that the pretzels add will keep you wanting more. A bottle of Fino Sherry and a few of our Pretzel Toffee Twirl bars will have your bride and groom dancing the night away!
Zinfandel with Spicy Maya
Lucky for you, there are two options here: White Zinfandel and Red Zinfandel!
For a health-conscious groom and bride, White Zinfandel is an excellent sweet white wine to gift as it has low calories (less than 125 kcal per serving), low alcohol (9% ABV), and comes at a small budget.
On the other hand, the red Zinfandel, having a lighter tone than Merlot, is bold in taste and consists of berry flavors like blueberry, cranberry, and plum. The red Zinfandel also has a higher alcohol content (greater than 15%ABV).
Our Spicy Maya chocolate bar is the perfect balance of dark chocolate and warming cinnamon to help bring out the notes in the wine. The bitterness of dark chocolate and the sweetness of white Zinfandel create a romantic gift for the newlywed couple.
If the couple is more of a Red Zinfandel, then complement it with our Totally Tangy Mango bar to ignite the fruitier side of the wine.
Tawny Port with Triple Nut Temptation
Port is the fortified grape wine from Portugal. It is a sweet red wine with moderate dryness. If your friends like nutty flavors, then gift them the Tawny Port wine. Tawny Port originates from the red grapes and aged in wooden barrels. With gradual oxidation, the Tawny Port wine develops a golden color and imparts a nutty flavor to the wine. As a result, the Tawny Port is an excellent dessert wine.
Combine this excellent gift with our Triple Nut Temptation bar that adds that extra nuttiness to it. The dark chocolate bar is topped with three different nuts (almonds, pistachios, and hazelnuts) and will be a perfect match to give to another perfect match!
Madeira with Ooh Ahh Almond
Madeira is a sweet fortified and oxidized dessert wine from the island of Madeira in Spain. It has low tannin levels and has higher alcohol content (>15% ABV). The Madeira wine comes in unique flavors of walnut, hazelnut, caramel, and orange. The wine is available in different ages, with some dating back to a century old. Madeira wine makes for a sweet wedding gift when you combine it with our Ooh Ahh Almond Bar. The kettle-cooked almonds give just the right amount of love to the dark chocolate, along with the sweetness of Madeira, which will leave long-lasting memories for your newlywed friends.
Conclusion:
Wine + Chocolate + Wedding = Perfection, don’t you think?
The wedding gift ideas mentioned here, using wine and chocolates, will make your friend's wedding (and post-wedding relaxation time) memorable, and they will be grateful to you for the lovely experience. Cheers to a healthy and long-lasting wedding for your friends.
