What Wine Goes With Chocolate & Dessert
Chocolate is one of the most difficult things to pair with wine. Here's what actually works — and why most people get it wrong.
· 5 min read
Key takeaways
- The wine must be as sweet as or sweeter than the chocolate — a dry wine next to dark chocolate tastes harsh and thin.
- Dark chocolate: aged Tawny Port, Australian Muscat, Banyuls (fortified Grenache from Roussillon), or a good Recioto della Valpolicella.
- Milk chocolate: demi-sec Champagne, Moscato d'Asti, or a PX (Pedro Ximénez) sherry — something with enough sweetness to match.
- White chocolate: Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, Moscato d'Asti, or a late-harvest Riesling. White chocolate is very sweet — the wine needs to keep up.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best wine for a chocolate fondue?
- A 10 or 20-year aged Tawny Port is the most reliable choice — the nutty, oxidative richness complements the dark chocolate and the sweetness matches. Alternatively, a Banyuls or an Australian Rutherglen Muscat. If it's a milk chocolate fondue: Moscato d'Asti or a demi-sec Champagne.
- Does any red wine go with chocolate cake?
- The most successful is a PX sherry drizzled over the cake rather than in a glass alongside it. For drinking with chocolate cake: Banyuls is the most reliable fortified red. A Zinfandel from California (if very ripe and slightly jammy) can work. Most dry reds — Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir — produce an unpleasant metallic-bitter reaction with chocolate cake.
- Can Champagne pair with chocolate?
- Dry Champagne (Brut) with dark chocolate is a mismatch — the Champagne's acidity stands out harshly against the chocolate's sweetness. Demi-sec Champagne with milk chocolate or lighter chocolate desserts is genuinely good. For a celebratory chocolate moment: choose the demi-sec, or open a Moscato d'Asti and everyone will be happy.
- What wine pairs with chocolate-dipped strawberries?
- The fruit changes the equation slightly. Moscato d'Asti is excellent — its apricot and peach notes complement both the strawberry and the chocolate. A demi-sec Champagne or a late-harvest Riesling also works. The lighter and fruitier the chocolate element, the less you need a heavy fortified wine.
Not sure which wine to pick? Tell our sommelier what you are eating or the occasion and we will find the right bottle — or browse the full sommelia.ch collection.