A Gustatory Delight: The Wine and Chocolate Gift Basket

For many people the pairing of wine and chocolate for a gift basket is a daunting task, and one they avoid if they can. But if you remember just a couple of simple rules, you can put together a wine and chocolate gift basket that will produce the purest of pleasures and a gift experience that surpasses the extraordinary.

What Not to do

The most common mistake people make when pairing wine and chocolate is choosing the wrong wine. Dry wines, for example, do not pair well with chocolate. Some of the most common dry wines are: Semillon, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Gewurtraminer. If the wine you wish to give is dry, try coupling it with bread or cheese, or give a wine bottle gift. Light-bodied wines pair best with light, creamy chocolates. Full-bodied wines pair best with strong, dark chocolates.

Which Wines, Which Chocolates

As a general rule red wines pair most effectively with dark chocolate. Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon pair exquisitely with dark chocolate and are the stars of the red wine and chocolate gift baskets. Pinot Noir and Merlot also pair nicely with milk chocolate.

White wines, because they are drier, are tougher to pair with chocolate. The best white wine and chocolate baskets come with either Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling and milk chocolate. However, another fine choice is Chardonnay and French Vanilla chocolate.

Dessert wines are the free spirits of the wine and chocolate baskets; they follow their own rules. Any kind of chocolate (almost) will pair with Champagne and Sparkling wine, while Port pairs best with dark chocolate and Sherry with white chocolate.

Stick to the Basics

So really, putting together the perfect wine and chocolate gift basket is pretty easy. Remember the rules. Choose the wine and find the chocolate to pair it with, or choose the chocolate first and find a wine to complement it. You will be amazed at what you can come up with and gratified by how well these gifts are received and appreciated.

If this is your first plunge into wine and chocolate gift baskets, go with a dessert wine. Champagne and Sparkling wines go with all kinds of chocolate - you can't make a mistake. Or try out you new knowledge and put together a red wine and chocolate gift basket with both milk and dark chocolates. Go ahead, take the plunge. You can create a perfect wine and chocolate gift basket.

Roland Jefferson III is an online writer and researcher out of Manhattan Beach Village, California. For free resources covering Wine and Chocolate Gift Basket, please visit our Wine chocolate Gift Basket Resource.