Delight Your Senses with Chocolate, Cheese and Wine Pairings

If you can't get enough of truffles, chocolate bars and other delicious sweet treats, you're in good company. There is likely a festival celebrating these delectable concoctions near you! Many events are held across the country to celebrate chocolate and all of its glory. One festival focuses on pairing chocolate with wine and cheese.

Coastal Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Festival

On June 24, the Coastal Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Festival will be held along the coast of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, hitting vineyards in towns such as Westport, Newport and Truro. The Taunton Daily Gazette reports that more than 700 tickets have been sold for the event, and nine vineyards and wineries in total will be open to patrons who want to get their fill of the delicious goodies. Approximately 30 vendors will attend to provide samples of their treats - but why chocolate, wine and cheese?

"They're three things I think would appeal to a pretty large crowd," Maggie Harnett, administrator of the wine trail, told the news source.

The Coastal Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Festival is just one of many events across the country that offers everything from chocolate bark to brownies to hungry lovers of sweets.

Pairing Cheese with Chocolate

While cheese and chocolate might seem like an odd combination, these two foods can go marvelously together if you know how to do it right. Reader's Digest reports that one combination that works is fontina and dark chocolate, primarily because both have naturally fruity flavors.

Can't get enough of sweet and savory? Try parmesan and dark chocolate - the salty flavor of this cheese goes perfectly with the sweetness of the chocolate. Bittersweet chocolate also works well with parmesan cheese.

Wine and Chocolate

Wine and chocolate are two delicacies that are seemingly made for each other - both have hints of tart and sweet flavors, and they bring out the best in one another. If you want to try pairing them, AllChocolate.com recommends going by one simple rule - pair light wine with light chocolate, and dark chocolate with full-bodied wines.

Some wines that you may consider pairing with milk chocolate include merlot, riesling and any other type of fruity, white variety. For dark or bittersweet chocolate, you might want to try zinfandel or cognac. In any case, don't be afraid to test the waters until you find something you like.