Editor's Note: Wine and chocolate is a ubiquitous pairing, but are they really meant to be together? Monthly columnist Erika Szymanski explores how the chemical makeup of chocolate means pairing with some wines might not always be the best idea. –Tom Mansell, Science Editor
Caution: this article may ruin your wine-tasting plans for Mother’s Day.
Red wine and chocolate. Personally, I’ve never really found the pairing all that appealing, but I have seen many instances of people going nuts for chocolate served with a sweet red wine in a tasting room. Maybe it’s because they enjoy the supposed health benefits of both wine and chocolate. Or maybe it’s because chocolate leads to the release of brain chemicals similar to those released during sex.
Pssst. Here is a secret nobody will tell you: Nearly all of the holiday gift guides in magazines and online are the byproduct of a year’s worth of PR-related samples and press releases. They are less a stamp of careful editorial approval for readers and more of a year-end cleansing ritual, a high colonic for accumulated office crap.
The flavors are lovely, with the wine just starting to shed its fruit and show some secondary flavors.