Photo by Amy Rose

Connor Smith, staff writer

No Valentine’s Day is complete without chocolate in one of its many forms. Traditionally, people envision a glass of bold dry Cabernet Sauvignon or dry Champagne with a significant other while gorging him or herself, but this is a complete misnomer. The idea is to find a sweeter wine to compliment the already sweet chocolate. However, not everyone who may stumble upon this article loves wine, therefore I have scoured the world of wine beer and spirits to give you five all encompassing pairs to compliment your chocolate.

1. Vintage Port: I want to clarify that port, and port style wines are fortified, making them very sweet and hearty. They are also almost double the alcohol content by volume. It should NOT be served at the same five ounces a pour as another table wine. That said, port has wonderful silky quality and shows wonderful notes of apricot, cigar box and all spice that will pair well with just about any chocolate on the market.
2. Southern Tier Crème Brulee Stout: For our beer lovers out there I recommend the Southern Tier Crème Brulee Stout from upstate New York. Most stouts will have notes of espresso and baker’s chocolate, which may lend them well to dark chocolate. However, this particular stout is a bit more muted and tends to stay on the sweeter side. It’s brewed with fresh vanilla bean, making it more approachable if stouts, or dark chocolate are not your preference.
3. The Velvet Hammer: An old favorite from back in my mixologist days, this sultry, creamy drink is a variation of the white Russian. The quick substitution of crème de cacao makes it the perfect compliment to chocolates. The instructions follow…Ingredients:
   1 1/2 oz. Vodka
   1 tbsp. Creme de Cacao
   1 tbsp. CreamInstructions:
   Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass
4. Moscato D’Asti: Make sure that this is a D’Asti and not a standard table moscato from California or Australia; you don’t want to sell yourself short. These sweet whites are perfect for chocolate. They have a slight fizz and show notes of peach and orange blossom, you really want to keep it light and as not to overpower the chocolate.

Cheers!

Connor Smith is a senior communication major, sommelier and wine educator in the Northern Virginia area. His mission in life is to find world’s best sandwich and perfect beer to pair with it.