Wine and chocolate are often paired together, particularly during this romantic time of year.  Why?  Just ask Natalie MacLean, author of Red, White and Drunk All Over:  “Wine is liquid sensuality: Its heady bouquet stimulates the appetite and its velvet caress soothes that desire. What other drink is described as both ‘voluptuous’ and ‘muscular’? And when you pair wine with the mouth-coating luxury of chocolate, the combination is impossible to resist.”

And scientifically speaking, they’re made for each other.  The acid in wine and the fat in chocolate are natural characteristics that balance the other on the palate.  The more fat in the chocolate, the more acid needed to offset it.

Also, chocolate is considered to have an “earth” characteristics, as opposed to a “fruit” characteristics.  So if you eat chocolate with a more earthy wine, you will find that they pair quite nicely.  You might often see chocolate, or cocoa, used as a descriptor for wine flavors.  Chances are that particular wine will be a pleasing complement to chocolate.  Now for the coup de grape, there are chocolatiers that make truffles infused with wine.  We have wine truffle chocolates in our Inn guest rooms to enjoy.  Heaven!