Written by: Norman Love • December 29, 2015• Sweet Talk

All Things Delicious

Daring Pairing: A Sweet Toast to the New Year with tips to pair your bubbly and chocolate

Chocolate and wine pairings have become an increasingly popular trend in recent years, but have you ever dared to pair champagne and chocolate? New Years Eve is the perfect time to be adventurous and try something new.

Champagne, while romantic, can be a tricky to combine with sugary treats. Because chocolate is sweet, and champagne tends to be dry, the richness of the chocolate makes the champagne taste acidic. Here are a few expert tips to make this NYE duo a match made in heaven:

Champagnes range from sweet to dry. Here are the labels to look for:
- Demi-sec – The sweetest of Champagnes, but not as sweet as a dessert wine. It means “half sweet.”
- Dry – A shade drier than demi-sec.
- Extra dry – One-step drier.
- Brut – The driest form, and the most popular.
The sweet factor of both the bubbly and the chocolate plays a major role in the success of the pairing. Typically, you want to shoot for champagne that is sweeter than the chocolate you are pairing it with.
Chocolate is OK with an extra-dry or demi sec, if it’s dark or bittersweet and not gooey.
To handle milk or white chocolate with bubbles, go for something sweet and perhaps pink.
If you intend to run through a lineup of champagne and chocolate pairings, then make sure to start with the lighter chocolates and bubblys first, saving the heavy-hitters until the end, so that they do not dominate the more delicate styles.
If you’re open to champagne cocktails, pair your champagne with a raspberry liqueur like Chambourd. Increasing the weight of the concoction will help it hold up against a dark chocolate