45 pairings
Touriga Nacional
Dark chocolate truffle with Quinta do Noval Nacional: Cocoa against profound black fruit.
The short answer
Across 180 chocolate pairings on 180 of our bottle pages, the grapes our editors pour most often are Touriga Nacional (45), Tempranillo (40), Touriga Franca (38) and Tinta Barroca (31). For example, Quinta do Noval Nacional from Douro Valley with dark chocolate truffle: Cocoa against profound black fruit.
By style: fortified 76, red 43, sparkling 3 of the 180 pairings.
The wines that turn up most: DOC Porto, DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Recioto della Valpolicella Classico, Montefalco Sagrantino Passito, Toscana, PDO Vinsanto.
The best grapes for chocolate
40 pairings
Tempranillo
Dark 70 percent chocolate torte with Taylor's Vintage Port: Bitter cocoa meets the wine's cassis and liquorice for a rich after-dinner match.
38 pairings
Touriga Franca
Dark chocolate with Dow's Vintage Port: Liquorice and cocoa.
31 pairings
Tinta Barroca
Dark chocolate tart with Fonseca Vintage Port: Liquorice and cocoa on cocoa.
24 pairings
Corvina
Dark chocolate truffle with sea salt with Dal Forno Romano Amarone della Valpolicella: The wine's chocolate-espresso notes and bitter finish pair with high-cocoa dark chocolate.
21 pairings
Corvinone
Chocolate lava cake with Dal Forno Romano Recioto della Valpolicella: Dark chocolate and cherry liqueur notes in the wine echo the molten chocolate centre.
20 pairings
Rondinella
Dark chocolate at 70 percent with Viviani Casa dei Bepi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico: The wine already carries chocolate and coffee, so a bitter bar extends the finish rather than fighting it.
19 pairings
Pedro Ximenez
Dark chocolate fondant with Matusalem VORS Oloroso Dulce: Mocha and dark fruit in the wine bridge the intense chocolate centre.
Bottles to pour with chocolate
The best-rated pairings, one per producer and no more than two from any one region, so the list travels.
Dark bitter chocolate 80%+
High-percentage chocolate is one of the rare counterparts that can stand alongside Eszencia's intensity.
Dark chocolate truffle
Cocoa against profound black fruit.
Dark chocolate truffle with sea salt
The wine's chocolate-espresso notes and bitter finish pair with high-cocoa dark chocolate.
Sip alone or with dark chocolate
At this level of complexity, the wine is best appreciated with minimal food competition.
With a single square of 70% dark chocolate
Intense bittersweet chocolate is one of the few things not overwhelmed by Eszencia's concentration.
Dark 70 percent chocolate torte
Bitter cocoa meets the wine's cassis and liquorice for a rich after-dinner match.
Dark chocolate at 70 percent
The wine already carries chocolate and coffee, so a bitter bar extends the finish rather than fighting it.
Dark chocolate fondant
Spice and dried fruit lift the cocoa richness.
Dark chocolate with sea salt
Salt-and-cocoa contrast for the wine's caramel depth.
Dark espresso chocolate truffles
The coffee-and-bitter-chocolate register of old Oloroso mirrors fine dark chocolate confections.
Wild boar with chocolate sauce
Game and dark fruit lock together.
Dark chocolate dessert
The producer suggests it at the end of a meal with a bitter chocolate dessert.
Taste the pairing: food and wine in Porto and the Douro Valley
Food and wine tastings you can book in Douro Valley, one of the regions whose bottles our editors pour with chocolate.
Porto Wine Tasting Experience with Portuguese Tapas Plate
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Cheese and Port Wine Pairing Activity
We're a proud small family-owned business with a rich heritage of crafting Port Wine for over 5 generations. Thanks to Portugal's entry into the EU, in 1993 we were fi...
Porto: Cálem Cellar Tour, Interactive Museum & Wine Tasting
Tradition meets innovation at Calem Cellars in Porto. Join a host on an immersive journey, part museum, part working winery, revealing the art behind winemaking, agein...
Food and wine tastings in Porto and the Douro Valley (41) · Wine and cheese tastings in Porto and the Douro Valley (4) · Wine tastings and winery visits in Porto and the Douro Valley (102) · Cooking classes in Porto and the Douro Valley (18) · Food tours in Porto and the Douro Valley (60) · Olive oil tastings and mill visits in Porto and the Douro Valley (13) · Wine tours with a boat trip in Porto and the Douro Valley (148) · Wine tours and day trips in Porto and the Douro Valley (119) · All wine and food experiences
pairings by region
- Douro Valley: 39 pairings, Douro Valley food and wine pairing
- Jerez & Sherry: 32 pairings, Jerez & Sherry food and wine pairing
- Valpolicella: 25 pairings, Valpolicella food and wine pairing
- Umbria: 10 pairings, Umbria food and wine pairing
- Tuscany: 8 pairings, Tuscany food and wine pairing
- Jura: 7 pairings, Jura food and wine pairing
- Sicily: 7 pairings, Sicily food and wine pairing
- Alto Adige: 6 pairings, Alto Adige food and wine pairing
- Dão: 6 pairings, Dão food and wine pairing
- Kakheti: 5 pairings, Kakheti food and wine pairing
- Santorini: 5 pairings, Santorini food and wine pairing
- Tokaj: 4 pairings, Tokaj food and wine pairing
Wine with chocolate, FAQ
What wine goes with chocolate?
Across 180 chocolate pairings on 180 of our bottle pages, the grapes our editors pour most often are Touriga Nacional (45), Tempranillo (40), Touriga Franca (38) and Tinta Barroca (31). For example, Quinta do Noval Nacional from Douro Valley with dark chocolate truffle: Cocoa against profound black fruit.
Red or white wine with chocolate?
Most often fortified: of the 122 chocolate pairings, the split by style is fortified 62%, red 35% and sparkling 2%. The bottles below show which of each work and why.
Which wine regions are best with chocolate?
The regions with the most chocolate pairings on our bottle pages are Douro Valley, Jerez & Sherry and Valpolicella.