With Easter fast approaching, my mind turns to two things: how much chocolate my small children are about to consume with glee… and how much wine I’ll need to survive it.
Now, wine and chocolate—two of life’s great pleasures—sound like a dream team. But in reality, they can be tricky to pair. That’s because both contain flavonoids - antioxidant-rich compounds found in grape skins, seeds, and cocoa. While they’re good for us in moderation and have some health benefits, they can also clash on the palate, making even a great wine taste a bit funky.
But don’t panic—we’ve done the hard work (read: the delicious research) for you. Here’s your Easter cheat sheet for chocolate and wine pairings that work.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is bold, rich, and full of cocoa—meaning it's also full of those bitter flavonoids. So, pairing it with a big, tannic red can be a bit much. What you want is something that can stand up to the intensity but still feels smooth.
Try a Primitivo – this wine is fruit forward and packed with blackberry, dark cherry and plum flavours. The fruitiness in the wine balances the bitterness perfectly. Merlot is also a good match – the soft tannins and juicy plum flavour notes play nicely with the deep richness of the dark chocolate. You could also try a jammy Aussie Shiraz or a ripe Cabernet Sauvignon here – just make sure you go for one with lots of ripe fruit and soft tannins.
Milk Chocolate
Sweeter, creamier, and lower in cocoa than dark chocolate, milk chocolate is much easier to pair. Pinot Noir is a great match here. Especially one with juicy cherry and forest floor flavours. It’s light enough to let the chocolate shine but has just enough fruit to hold its own against the sweetness of the chocolate. If you like fruit chocolate, this will be right up your alley.
White Chocolate
Okay, okay, it’s not technically “chocolate” (no cocoa solids), but it’s still delicious and buttery. For a wine match here, you want something light and zippy to cut through the richness. You can also pair an slightly sweet wine here if it has good acidity to cut through the richness.
Try a prosecco (or Champagne if you are that way inclined). The bubbles brings a bit of flair and helps the white chocolate melt away to a delightfully fizzy finish.
Alternatively if you are in the mood for a off-dry or semi sweet Riesling, this will also do the trick. The acidity lifts the sweetness in both the wine and chocolate and keeps things fresh.
Fruit & Nut Chocolate
This one’s a little more complex—sweet chocolate, chewy raisins, and crunchy nuts? You need a wine that can do a bit of everything. For this one we bring out the fail safe Pedro Ximénez sherry which classically has its own flavours of sweet raisins, nuttiness and Christmas cake. This is a sweet match (in the literal sense of the word) but a great option for dessert or a treat after you have got those hyped up little hooligans into bed. Alternatively a Tawny Port is another solid pick offering similar depth with dried fruit and toasty nut vibes.
Peppermint Chocolate
Yes, it’s a curveball—but hear us out. Pair an Aussie Shiraz, particularly one from South Australia (try Coonawarra or Barossa) that has classic mint and eucalyptus notes. It is a surprisingly good match for peppermint chocolate with the herbal elements in the wine tying in with the chocolate’s freshness while the cocoa bitterness is balanced by the wine’s ripe fruit and spice.
So this Easter, while the kids are riding their sugar highs and the house is in full chaos, you’ll have the perfect bottle ready to go—no matter what chocolate you’ve got stashed in the pantry. Cheers to surviving the holidays with a little sweetness and a lot of wine.