I tried dark chocolate covered coffee beans with Chardonnay the other day, just out of curiosity, and found that they went very well together. The Chardonnay was oaky, so I was thinking that might have something to do with it, but I am used to red wine with chocolate, so am a little confused as to why the Chard went so well with it. Are my taste buds shot?
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
That's not for me to say! You're free to enjoy any combination of food and drink that works for you. Taste preferences vary enormously. In interactive wine and food seminars I have conducted, I have discovered that there are always a few people in any audience who love wine and food matches most do not, and vice versa. Personally, I don't think chocolate is compatible with the vast majority of wine. The pairings I recommend in my Wine and Food Guide (on my website) are mostly fortified sweet wines such as (red) Port. As for Chardonnay with coffee beans in dark chocolate, my thought is that the coffee flavor might connect with the pronounced oak - that's a wild guess. But what I think doesn't really count - in matters of personal taste you alone should be the judge.
